Huskers Set for New Year's Day Bowl Game

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1 Huskers Set for New Year's Day Bowl Game Nebraska Set for First AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic Appearance in 27 Seasons Husker Football Notables 4 Five national championships (1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997) 4 43 conference championships 4 Three Heisman trophies 4 Eight Outland trophies 4 Four Lombardi awards All-Americans all-time victories (fourth all-time) 4 Nation-leading 86 academic All-Americans 4 NCAA-record 282 consecutive sellouts in Memorial Stadium 4 44 all-time bowl appearances fifth in NCAA 4 22 all-time bowl victories 4 Fourth appearance in the Cotton Bowl 4 Fourth all-time meeting with Auburn bowl record against SEC opponents 4 31st all-time January bowl game 2007 At&T Cotton Bowl Classic Nebraska (9-4, 6-2) vs. Auburn (10-2, 6-2) Date: Monday, Jan. 1, 2007 Time: 10:40 a.m. Site: Dallas, Texas Stadium: Cotton Bowl Surface: Natural Grass Capacity: 72,262 Rankings: NU (AP-22, Coaches-22) Auburn (AP-10; Coaches-10) Series Record: Nebraska leads, 3-0 Last Meeting: Nebraska 41, Auburn 7 Oct. 2, 1982 at Auburn Broadcast Information Television Fox Pat Summeral Play-by-Play Brian Baldinger Analyst Krista Voda Sideline Radio Husker Sports Network 51-Station Network Jim Rose Play-by-Play Adrian Fiala Color Randy Lee Booth Matt Davison Sideline Internet: Huskers.com Satellite Radio: Sirius, Channel 144 National Radio Westwood One Radio Brad Sham Play-by-Play Terry Bowden Color NU in AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic Fourth Appearance Previous Appearances 1965 Arkansas 10, Nebraska Nebraska 19, Texas Houston 17, Nebraska 14 Huskers Set to Make 44th All-Time Postseason Bowl Appearance Following a season highlighted by capturing its first Big 12 North Division title in seven seasons, Nebraska returns to the New Year s Day bowl menu in The Huskers will be making their first appearance in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic in 27 seasons, taking on Auburn in the traditional New Year s Day bowl. Game time for the matchup between Nebraska and the Tigers is set for 10:40 a.m. CST. The game will be televised by Fox. This year s appearance in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic marks Nebraska s first bowl game on New Year s Day since a victory over Miami in the 1995 Orange Bowl. The Huskers have played their bowl game in January four times since that Orange Bowl, but have not played on New Year s Day in 11 seasons.the appearance in the Cotton Bowl marks Nebraska s 44th all-time bowl appearance, the fifth-most in college football. Nebraska is familiar with the state of Texas for recent bowl appearances, but has not been in Dallas for the holidays for nearly three decades. The Huskers trip to the Lone Star State will be Nebraska s fourth bowl game in the state of Texas in the past seven seasons, joining Alamo Bowl trips in 2000, 2003 and However, Nebraska last played in the Cotton Bowl following the 1979 season when the seventh-ranked Huskers were knocked off by Houston. The Huskers are coming off a tough loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game on Dec. 2. The setback dropped Nebraska to 9-4 overall, after finishing Big 12 Conference play as the North Division champions with a 6-2 league record. Despite the loss, Nebraska remained in the final regular-season national rankings, checking in at No. 22 in both the Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls.the Huskers have the opportunity to record the 25th 10-win season in school history with a victory in the Cotton Bowl. Auburn enters the Cotton Bowl with a 10-2 overall record and finished 6-2 in the rugged Southeastern Conference, good for a tie for second place in the West Division. The Tigers were ranked as high as second in early October and are 10th in both polls entering bowl action. Auburn has posted the nation s third-best record over the past three seasons, boasting a 32-5 record, including a perfect 13-0 record in The matchup with the Tigers continues a tough 2007 slate for Nebraska. Auburn will be the fourth Husker opponent ranked in the top 10 at game time, joining USC, Texas and Oklahoma. The game will mark just the fourth meeting between the two schools, but the second in postseason play. The Huskers defeated Auburn, 13-7 in the 1964 Orange Bowl. Nebraska also won two regular-season meetings between the two schools, knocking off the Tigers in Lincoln in 1981 and winning at Auburn the following season.

2 NATIONAL POLLS Associated Press (Dec. 3) No. Team (1st) Record Points 1. Ohio State (65) , Florida , Michigan , LSU , Louisville , Wisconsin , Oklahoma* , USC* , Boise State , Auburn* , Notre Dame Arkansas West Virginia Virginia Tech Wake Forest Rutgers Tennessee Texas* Brigham Young California Texas A&M* Nebraska Boston College Oregon State TCU USA Today Coaches (Dec. 3) No. Team (1st) Record Points 1. Ohio State (62) , Florida , Michigan , LSU , Wisconsin , Louisville , USC* , Oklahoma* , Boise State , Auburn* , Notre Dame West Virginia Arkansas Virginia Tech Wake Forest Texas* Rutgers Tennessee California Brigham Young Texas A&M* Nebraska Boston College TCU Oregon State Georgia Tech Nebraska Season Recap Nebraska opened the 2006 season with the goal of reaching the Big 12 Conference Championship Game and collecting the school s first Big 12 title since The Huskers reached the first portion of that goal, sweeping their North Division opponents to earn a trip to Kansas City in early December, and fell just short of grabbing the conference crown in a title game loss to Oklahoma. The Huskers showed their explosiveness on offense and an improved running game in rolling past Louisiana Tech (49-10) and Nicholls State (56-7) to open the season. Nebraska totaled 584 yards of offense against Louisiana Tech, including 252 on the ground, then posted 496 yards against Nicholls State, with 261 of those yards by rush. Nebraska s first big test of 2006 came at No. 4 USC. While the Trojans posted a comfortable victory, it was evident Nebraska had the ability to stand toe-totoe with the nation s best teams in The Huskers completed non-conference play with a complete effort in a 56-0 whitewashing of eventual Sun Belt champ Troy in Lincoln. The Huskers amassed nearly 600 yards of offense, including 316 rushing yards. Big 12 Conference play began with a dramatic overtime win over Kansas. The Huskers jumped to a quick 17-0 lead, but KU was resilient, taking the lead in the fourth Huskers in the 2006 Polls Date A C H Results Pre def. La. Tech, def. Nicholls St., lost to USC, def. Troy, def. Kansas, (ot) def. Iowa State, def. Kansas State, lost to Texas, lost to Okla. St., RV RV RV def. Missouri, RV def. Texas A&M, idle def. Colorado, lost to Oklahoma, A=Associated Press; C-Coaches; H-Harris quarter. However, quarterback Zac Taylor threw his third touchdown pass of more than 75 yards late in the game to force overtime. In the extra session, Nebraska scored first, then held on defense for the victory. Nebraska picked up a pair of solid road victories in Ames and Manhattan, ending losing streaks at both sites. Brandon Jackson and Cody Glenn both topped 100 yards on the ground in Nebraska s victory at Iowa State, the Huskers first in Ames since A week later, the Huskers jumped to an early lead, then watched the defense dominate Kansas State in a 21-3 win, ending a streak of four straight losses in Manhattan. Any remaining questions about Nebraska s ability to compete with the best were answered a week later against defending national champion Texas in Lincoln. Trailing 16-7 entering the fourth quarter, Nebraska forged a lead with less than five minutes left. The Longhorns pulled out a dramatic victory with a field goal in the final 30 seconds, but Nebraska was confident it was on the right track. A week later, Nebraska ran into a fired-up Oklahoma State team on the road. The Huskers could not hold a 16-0 first-half lead, as the Cowboys explosive offense controlled the rest of the day in a loss. The Huskers showed their mettle after the two-game losing streak. Nebraska returned home for the biggest North Division game of the season against Missouri. The Huskers quickly erased any doubt about which team would grab control of the division. Nebraska jumped to a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter and led 27-6 at halftime en route to a win and full control of the Big 12 North. While Nebraska was in the division lead after its win over Missouri, the Huskers needed one more victory to close out the division. The Huskers got just that a week later at Texas A&M, but it did not come easy. Nebraska appeared to be in full control, leading 21-7 early in the second quarter. However, the Aggies rallied in front of their home crowd to take a lead midway through the fourth quarter. After a blocked field goal, the Nebraska offense got one last chance and made the most of it, as Taylor capped an 11-play, 75-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Maurice Purify with 21 seconds remaining to pull out a win. The Huskers completed a perfect run through the Big 12 North with a win over Colorado. The Buffs did not go quietly, tying the game at 14 in the third quarter, but Nebraska got big plays from its offense, defense and special teams to put the game away, marking its seventh straight win against North opponents. Oklahoma used an opportunistic defense that forced five Nebraska turnovers to hold off the Huskers in the Big 12 title game. Nebraska again matched up well with a top-10 opponent, holding the Sooners to just 42 rushing yards, 82 yards fewer than OU s previous 2006 rushing low. A Closer Look at the 2006 Nebraska Football Schedule Date... Opponent... Time/Result...TV... Series... Last Meeting (Site)/Notes Sept Louisiana Tech... W, FSN... NU, Nebraska records 21st straight season-opening victory; Taylor 22-33, 287, 3 TD Sept Nicholls State... W, None... NU, Taylor throws career-high 4 TD passes; Nicholls State 0-3, zero yards passing Sept at USC... L, ABC... USC, Third-largest crowd ever to see Nebraska (92,000)/Bradley team-high 10 tackles Sept Troy... W, FSN PPV... NU, Huskers pitch first shutout since 2003/NU rolls up 597 yards, most since 2001 Sept Kansas... W, (ot)...fsn... NU, NU wins 19th straight vs. KU in Lincoln; Taylor 395 yards, 4 TD; NU 5-0 in OT Oct. 7...at Iowa State... W, ABC... NU, Huskers out-rush ISU ; Glenn TD, Jackson TD Oct at Kansas State... W, FSN PPV... NU, Huskers snap four-game skid in Manhattan; Rushing yards NU 190, KSU 22 Oct Texas... L, ABC... UT, UT hits game-winning FG with 23 seconds left/second loss to top five team in 06 Oct at Oklahoma State... L, ABC... NU, Jackson TD rushing; Carriker 3 TFL; OSU wins 2nd straight vs. NU in Stillwater Nov Missouri... W, ABC... NU, Huskers win 15th straight over Tigers in Lincoln; Jackson 32 carries, 111 yards Nov at Texas A&M... W, ABC... NU, Taylor breaks career passing record, guides game-winning two-minute drill Nov Colorado... W, ABC... NU, Taylor 19-28, 249 yards, 2 TD/Jackson 190 all-purpose (41 att.); Carriker 2 sacks Big 12 Championship Game (Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.) Dec. 2...Oklahoma*... L, ABC... OU, Huskers hold OU to 42 rushing yards; Five turnovers hurt Nebraska chances 9

3 Huskers, Tigers in NCAA Rankings Nebraska Team Rushing Offense, ypg (25th) Passing Offense, ypg (18th) Total Offense, ypg (9th) Scoring Offense, 31.9 ppg (13th) Net Punting, 37.2 ypp (22nd) Passing Efficiency, rating (10th) Individual Zac Taylor, Pass Efficiency, rating (19th) Auburn Total Defense, ypg (25th) Scoring Defense, 13.9 ppg (7th) Net Punting, 38.9 ypp (4th) Kickoff Returns, 25.8 ypr (6th) Pass Defense, ypg (20th) Individual Tristan Davis, Kickoff Returns, 26.4 ypr (14th) John Vaughn, Field Goals, 1.58 pg (7th) Quentin Groves, Sacks, 0.79 pg (16th) Previous NU-Auburn Bowl Matchup 1964 Orange Bowl Nebraska 13, Auburn 7 Nebraska gave Head Coach Bob Devaney his second bowl win in as many tries with a 13-7 win over Auburn in its second Orange Bowl appearance. Husker quarterback Dennis Claridge set the tone for the game on Nebraska s second play from scrimmage, racing 68 yards down the sideline to put NU ahead 7-0, the longest in Orange Bowl history at the time. Dave Theisen kicked a pair of first-half field goals to give the Huskers a 13-0 halftime edge. Auburn quarterback Jimmy Sidle scored on a 13-yard third-quarter run to slice the lead to 13-7, then put the Tigers in position to win late. However, NU linebacker John Kirby batted down a fourth down pass at the goal line with less than three minutes remaining to preserve the Nebraska win. Game Recap Score by Quarters Final Nebraska Auburn Statistics NU AU First Downs Net Rushing Passes Att.-Comp.-Int Net Passing Total Offense Leading NU Rusher: Dennis Claridge, 108 yards, TD Leading NU Passer: Claridge 4-of-9, 30 yards Attendance: 72,647 Game Statistics from Nebraska-Auburn Regular-Season Matchups Nebraska 17, Auburn 3, Oct. 3, 1981 in Lincoln Score by Quarters Final Auburn Nebraska Statistics AU NU First Downs Rushing Yards Passing Yards Total Offense Turnovers 7 4 Leading NU Rusher: Roger Craig, 22-87, TD Attendance: 76,423 Nebraska 41, Auburn 7, Oct. 2, 1982 in Auburn Score by Quarters Final Nebraska Auburn Statistics NU AU First Downs Rushing Yards Passing Yards Total Offense Turnovers 3 4 Leading NU Rusher: Mike Rozier, 24-88, TD Attendance: 73, Scouting the Auburn Tigers Auburn has spent the majority of the 2006 season ranked among the nation s top 10 and enters the Cotton Bowl listed 10th in both major polls. The Tigers success has continued an impressive run over the past three seasons in which Auburn has a 32-5 overall record, the third-best mark in the country over that time, trailing only USC and Texas. The Tigers rose to as high as No. 2 in the national rankings early this season, before a loss to SEC West Champion Arkansas on Oct. 7. Following that setback, Auburn got back into the SEC and national race before a loss to Georgia on Nov. 11. Auburn is the only team to defeat second-ranked Florida this season, knocking off the Gators, 27-17, at Auburn on Oct. 14. The Tigers also own a victory over BCS bowl participant LSU, posting a 7-3 victory on Sept. 16 at home. Offensively, Auburn has relied on a solid running attack that ranks 43rd nationally and fourth in the SEC, averaging 155 yards per game. The Tigers are 68th nationally in total offense at yards per game and rank 87th in passing offense. The strength of the Auburn offense has been its success in the Red Zone. The Tigers have converted 36-of-42 trips inside the 20 into scores, including 23 touchdowns and 13 field goals. Running back Kenny Irons paces the Auburn running game, ranking 37th nationally and third in the SEC at 82.1 rushing yards per game. A 5-11, 203-pound senior, Irons has three 100-yard rushing games this season and has totaled better than 2,100 career rushing yards. Junior quarterback Brandon Cox is in his second season as the Auburn starter and has led his team to an 18-5 record. Cox ranks 30th nationally in passing efficiency and has four 200-yard passing games this season. Cox has completed 61 percent of his passes, with 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The Tiger receivers are led by Courtney Taylor, who has a team-high 48 receptions, and Rodgeriquis Smith, who averages 17.4 yards per catch and has four touchdown catches. The Tiger offensive line is a veteran unit with four senior starters. Auburn has relied on a stout defense for much of the season. The Tigers rank 25th nationally in total defense at yards per game, and are seventh nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 13.9 yards per game. The Tigers have posted two shutouts and held two other opponents to single digits. Auburn opponents have found the going difficult inside the 20, scoring on just 20-of-32 Red Zone opportunities, including 12 touchdowns. Senior linebacker Will Herring is the veteran leader of the defense with 65 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss. Herring has made 47 consecutive starts for the Tigers and spent the previous three seasons at safety. Defensive end Quentin Groves has 9.5 sacks to rank 16th nationally in sacks per game, and has 12 tackles for loss. Auburn has a mix of youth and experience on defense, with four senior starters, but also three redshirt freshman starters. Place-kicker John Vaughn highlights the Auburn special teams. He has connected on 19-of-23 field goals this season, including 2-of-3 from beyond 50 yards. The Tigers rank fourth nationally in net punting, averaging 38.9 yards per punt and are seventh nationally in kickoff returns at 25.8 yards per attempt. Auburn Head Coach Tommy Tuberville Coach Tommy Tuberville (Southern Arkansas, 1976) is in his eighth season as the head coach of the Auburn program and has compiled a record with the Tigers. Tuberville owns a overall record as a college head coach, serving four seasons as the head coach at Ole Miss before moving on to Auburn. Tuberville has guided the Tigers to nine wins five times in eight seasons, including each of the past three years, highlighted by a perfect 13-0 campaign in The Cotton Bowl appearance marks the seventh straight year Tuberville has guided the Tigers to a bowl game, including three straight January bowl games. Before becoming a head coach, Tuberville served as an assistant at Arkansas State, Miami and Texas A&M. Tuberville faced Nebraska twice in bowl games while at Miami, helping the Hurricanes to Orange Bowl wins over the Huskers following the 1988 and 1991 seasons. Nebraska-Auburn Series...Fourth All-Time Meeting...Nebraska Leads, 3-0 The will mark the fourth all-time meeting between Nebraska and Auburn, with the Huskers holding a 3-0 series advantage. The first meeting occurred in the 1964 Orange Bowl with Nebraska posting a 13-7 victory (summary in left margin). The Huskers also posted back-to-back victories over Auburn in 1981 and 1982, winning 17-3 in Lincoln and 41-7 at Auburn. In the 1981 game in Lincoln, Nebraska and Auburn combined for 11 turnovers on a rainy day. Auburn led 3-0 at halftime, as two Husker drives ended inside the Tiger 10. Nebraska turned to sophomore quarterback Turner Gill at halftime and he guided the Huskers to 17 second-half points, including an eight-yard fourth quarter run to ice the game. Auburn managed just 150 yards of offense and committed seven turnovers. The win evened Nebraska s record at 2-2. A year later at Auburn, the Huskers broke free from a 14-7 halftime lead with 27 second-half points in a 41-7 victory. The Huskers rolled up 342 rushing yards and 504 yards of total offense to control the contest, giving Nebraska its first-ever road win against an SEC opponent. Nebraska-Auburn Series Games: 3 Standing: Nebraska leads, 3-0 At Lincoln: Nebraska leads, 1-0 At Auburn: Nebraska leads, 1-0 In Orange Bowl: Nebraska leads, 1-0 Date Site Result Miami NU, Lincoln NU, Auburn NU, 41-7 Series Scoring Total Avg. Nebraska Auburn

4 Nebraska in Bowl Games (22-21) NU/Opp. Year Bowl Opp. AP Rank Result (Biff Jones 0-1) 1941* Rose Stanford 7/2 L, (Bill Glassford 0-1) 1955* Orange Duke /14 L, 7-34 (Bob Devaney 6-3) 1962 Gotham Miami / W, * Orange Auburn 6/5 W, * Cotton Arkansas 6/2 L, 7-10# 1966* Orange Alabama 3/4 L, 28-39# 1967* Sugar Alabama 6/3 L, Sun Georgia 14/ W, * Orange Louisiana St. 3/5 W, 17-12# 1972* Orange Alabama 1/2 W, 38-6# (Tom Osborne 12-13) 1973* Orange Notre Dame 9/12 W, * Cotton Texas 12/8 W, * Sugar Florida 8/18 W, Fiesta Arizona State 6/7 L, Astro-BB Texas Tech 13/9 W, Liberty North Carolina 12/14 W, * Orange Oklahoma 6/4 L, * Cotton Houston 7/8 L, Sun Miss. State 8/17 W, * Orange Clemson 4/1 L, 15-22# 1983* Orange Louisiana St. 3/13 W, * Orange Miami 1/5 L, 30-31# 1985* Sugar Louisiana State 4/12 W, * Fiesta Michigan 7/5 L, * Sugar Louisiana State 6/5 W, * Fiesta Florida State 5/3 L, * Orange Miami 6/2 L, * Fiesta Florida State 6/5 L, * Citrus Georgia Tech 19/2 L, 21-45# 1992* Orange Miami 11/1 L, 0-22# 1993* Orange Florida State 11/3 L, * Orange Florida State 2/1 L, 16-18# 1995* Orange Miami 1/3 W, 24-17# 1996* Fiesta Florida 1/2 W, 62-24# 1996* Orange Virginia Tech 6/10 W, * Orange Tennessee 2/3 W, 42-17# (Frank Solich 2-3) 1998 Holiday Arizona 14/5 L, * Fiesta Tennessee 3/6 W, Alamo Northwestern 9/18 W, * Rose Miami 4/1 L, 14-37# 2002 Indepen. Mississippi / L, (Bo Pelini, Interim) 2003 Alamo Michigan St. 22/ W, 17-3 (Bill Callahan, 1-0) 2005 Alamo Michigan /20 W, * Cotton Auburn 22/10 # winner won or shared national championship * year is when game was played not season Bold indicates conference champion teams NU Bowl Summary 43 Bowls (fifth all-time): National Championship Bowl Games: 5-8 vs. Auburn: 1-0 (1964 Orange Bowl) vs. SEC Opponents in bowls: 12-3 NU in the Bowls Alamo: 3-0 Astro Bluebonnet: 1-0 Cotton: 1-2 Fiesta: 1-4 Florida Citrus: 0-1 Gotham: 1-0 Holiday: 0-1 Independence: 0-1 Liberty: 1-0 Orange: 7-9 Rose: 0-2 Sun: 2-0 Sugar: Husker Bowl History AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic Appearance Marks Nebraska s 37th Bowl in 38 Years Nebraska will participate in its 44th all-time bowl game with this year s appearance in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. The Huskers missed a bowl game in 2004, but have played in the postseason in 37 of the past 38 seasons, including last year s Alamo Bowl victory against Michigan. Nebraska s 35 straight bowl appearances from 1969 to 2003 is an NCAA record. The 44 all-time bowl appearances overall is fifth best, trailing Alabama's 54, Tennessee and Texas with 46, and USC with 45. Nebraska played the first of its 44 bowls in the Rose Bowl, when No. 7 Nebraska lost to No. 2 Stanford, 21-13, following the 1940 season. Nebraska's 35 consecutive bowls began with a 45-6 win over Georgia in the 1969 Sun Bowl, and ended with its appearance in the 2003 Alamo Bowl. The Huskers are all-time in bowl games, including a 1-2 mark in the Cotton Bowl. The Huskers have been successful in recent years, winning eight of their last 11 bowl games since the 1994 season. Nebraska s Cotton Bowl opponent, Auburn, ranks 16th in all-time bowl appearances with 33 and will be making its seventh straight bowl appearance this season. Auburn is in its 32 previous bowl appearances, including an 0-1 record in the Cotton Bowl. The Tigers last appeared in Dallas for New Year s in 1986, losing to Texas A&M, Auburn is 3-5 against Big 12 Conference schools in bowl games, most recently the 1986 Cotton Bowl loss to Texas A&M. NU to Make Fourth Cotton Bowl Appearance Nebraska's visit to Dallas for the 2007 Cotton Bowl marks the Huskers fourth trip to the bowl game. Nebraska made its first appearance in the Cotton Bowl Classic following the 1964 season, losing a 10-7 decision to second-ranked Arkansas. The Huskers returned to Dallas following the 1973 season, marking the first of 25 straight bowl trips for Tom Osbornecoached Nebraska teams. The Huskers evened their Cotton Bowl record with a 19-3 victory over Southwest Conference champ Texas. Nebraska s last trip to the Cotton Bowl came following the 1979 season when No. 8 Houston scored in the game s final minute to defeat the seventh-ranked Huskers, The Cotton Bowl is one of 13 bowl games Nebraska has participated in during its illustrious football history. The Huskers most frequent holiday destination has been the Orange Bowl, where NU owns a 7-9 record in 16 trips to Miami. 4 The trip to Dallas is Nebraska's 10th bowl game in the state of Texas. In addition to its previous appearances in the Cotton Bowl, Nebraska has played in three Alamo Bowls (2000, 2003, 2005), two Sun Bowls (1969, 1980) and the 1976 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. All-Time Bowl Appearances 1. Alabama Tennessee 46 Texas USC Nebraska 44 Top 20 Bowl Appearances Consecutive School All-Time Most Current 1. Alabama Tennessee Texas USC Nebraska 44 * Georgia Oklahoma Penn State Michigan Ohio State Louisiana State Arkansas Georgia Tech Florida State Florida Auburn Mississippi Miami Texas Tech Washington 29 8 *NCAA record Nebraska Hopes to Maintain Winning Bowl Record Following a dramatic, Alamo Bowl win over Michigan last season, Nebraska owns a all-time record in 43 bowl appearances. The Huskers have won eight of their last 11 bowl games since 1994 to move over the.500 mark in their bowl won-loss record. By coach in bowl games, Nebraska was 0-1 under Biff Jones, 0-1 under Bill Glassford, 6-3 under Bob Devaney, under Tom Osborne, 2-3 under Frank Solich, 1-0 under interim coach Bo Pelini and 1-0 under Bill Callahan. Five of Nebraska s nine bowl games from 1993 to 2001 were for at least a share of the national title, with the Huskers on the winning end in three of those games. Huskers to Face 10th-Ranked Auburn Nebraska enters the Cotton Bowl ranked 22nd in both major national polls. Auburn enters the contest ranked 10th in both major polls, continuing a trend of Nebraska playing difficult competition in the postseason. Auburn was ranked as high as No. 2 in both polls earlier this season. The Huskers matchup with the Tigers will mark the 40th ranked opponent Nebraska has faced in 44 bowl games. 4Auburn is the first Nebraska bowl opponent since the 2001 season to enter the postseason ranked in the top 10. However, Nebraska has faced a top-10 opponent in 17 of its past 21 bowl games. 4Nebraska has faced the AP s top-ranked team in a bowl game four times since the 1981 season, while entering the bowl game No. 1 four times in school history. The Huskers have faced a higher-ranked team in 13 of their past 20 bowl games.

5 Big 12 Conference Places Eight Teams in 2006 Bowl Games For the fourth time in the past five seasons, the Big 12 has placed eight teams in bowl games. Auburn is one of a nation-leading nine SEC teams in bowl games, while the Big 12 and ACC each have eight bowl representatives. Big 12 Champion Oklahoma leads the Big 12 parade into the postseason, as the Sooners will match up with Boise State in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Other Big 12 teams in bowl action include Texas (Alamo), Texas A&M (Holiday), Missouri (Sun), Texas Tech (Insight), Oklahoma State (Independence) and Kansas State (Texas). Kansas (6-6) was also bowl eligible, but is not playing in the postseason. Nebraska squared off against eight bowl teams in 2006, including six games against Big 12 opponents. The Huskers finished the season with a 4-4 record against bowl opponents, defeating Troy, Kansas State, Missouri and Texas A&M, while losing to USC (Rose), Texas, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. Auburn has faced six bowl teams, and posted a 4-2 record against those teams. Big 12 Teams in 2006 Bowl Games Independence Bowl Thurs., Dec. 28 Oklahoma State vs. Alabama, 3:30 p.m. Texas Bowl Thurs., Dec. 28 Kansas State vs. Rutgers, 7 p.m. Holiday Bowl Thurs., Dec. 28 Texas A&M vs. California, 7 p.m. Sun Bowl Fri., Dec. 29 Missouri vs. Oregon State, 1 p.m. Insight Bowl Fri., Dec. 29 Texas Tech vs. Minnesota, 6:30 p.m. Alamo Bowl Sat., Dec. 30 Texas vs. Iowa, 3:30 p.m. AT&T Cotton Bowl Mon., Jan. 1, 10:40 a.m. Fiesta Bowl Mon., Jan. 1 Oklahoma vs. Boise State, 7:30 p.m. Other Nebraska opponents in bowl games New Orleans Bowl Friday, Dec. 22 Troy vs. Rice, 7 p.m. Rose Bowl Monday, Jan. 1 USC vs. Michigan, 4 p.m. all times listed are Central; Huskers Aim to Break Big 12 Cotton Bowl Losing Streak Nebraska will attempt to get the Big 12 back on the winning track in the AT&T Cotton Bowl. The Southeastern Conference has won the past three Cotton Bowl games, most recently a Alabama victory over Texas Tech last season. Tennessee defeated Texas A&M two seasons ago, while Ole Miss upended Oklahoma State in the 2004 game. Overall, the Big 12 and SEC have met in the Cotton Bowl each year since The two conferences are knotted at four wins apiece since that conference arrangement began. Last season Nebraska picked up its third Alamo Bowl victory in six seasons. The Huskers are the only Big 12 school to win in 10 Alamo Bowl matchups between the Big 12 and Big Ten conferences. Huskers Hope to Continue Success Against SEC in Bowl Action The Nebraska matchup with Auburn will mark the 16th bowl game against a Southeastern Conference opponent for the Huskers. Nebraska has had great success against the SEC in bowl games, winning 12 of 15 previous meetings. Nebraska s first bowl matchup against an SEC opponent was a 13-7 victory over Auburn in the 1964 Orange Bowl. The Huskers lost to Ole Miss, 27-23, in the 2002 Independence Bowl, ending a streak of 11 straight victories over the SEC in bowl action. Between the 1969 Sun Bowl and the 2000 Fiesta Bowl the Huskers were 11-0 against the SEC in bowl action, posting victories over LSU (4), Tennessee (2), Florida (2), Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi State. Before the 2002 Independence Bowl loss, Nebraska had defeated its previous five SEC bowl opponents by an average of 21.2 points. Prior to the 2002 loss to Ole Miss, Alabama was the only team to defeat Nebraska in bowl action, knocking off the Huskers in the 1966 Orange Bowl and the 1967 Sugar Bowl. Nebraska s 12-3 bowl record against the SEC does not include a loss to Arkansas in the 1965 Cotton Bowl. The Razorbacks were a member of the Southwest Conference at the time. Bowl games have provided the majority of Nebraska s matchups against the Southeastern Conference. 4In regular-season action, Nebraska last faced a current member of the SEC in 1986 and 1987 when it defeated South Carolina, who was an independent at the time. The Huskers last meetings with an SEC foe at the time of the game were victories over Auburn in the 1981 and 1982 seasons. 4Nebraska is overall against current members of the Southeastern Conference, including a regular-season record. Nebraska vs. SEC in Bowl Games (12-3) Year* Bowl Opponent AP Ranks Result NU Coach 1964 Orange Auburn 6/5 W, 13-7 Bob Devaney 1966 Orange# Alabama 3/4 L, Bob Devaney 1967 Sugar Alabama 6/3 L, 34-7 Bob Devaney 1969 Sun Georgia 14/ W, 45-6 Bob Devaney 1971 Orange# LSU 3/5 W, Bob Devaney 1972 Orange# Alabama 1/2 W, 38-6 Bob Devaney 1974 Sugar Florida 8/18 W, Tom Osborne 1980 Sun Mississippi St. 8/17 W, Tom Osborne 1983 Orange LSU 3/13 W, Tom Osborne 1985 Sugar LSU 4/12 W, Tom Osborne 1987 Sugar LSU 6/5 W, Tom Osborne 1996 Fiesta# Florida 1/2 W, Tom Osborne 1998 Orange# Tennessee 2/3 W, Tom Osborne 2000 Fiesta Tennessee 3/6 W, Frank Solich 2002 Independence Mississippi / L, Frank Solich * year is calendar year when game was played not season # winner won or shared national championship in at least one poll Nebraska's Previous Cotton Bowl Appearances 1965 Cotton Bowl #2 Arkansas 10, #6 Nebraska 7 Dallas, Jan. 1, 1965 Arkansas mounted an 80-yard fourth quarter drive against a tough Nebraska defense, to pull out a 10-7 victory. The Huskers had led most of the way in one of the top defensive battles in Cotton Bowl history. Arkansas opened the scoring on a 31-yard Tom McKnelly field goal in the first quarter. Husker sophomore Harry Wilson capped a 69-yard Cornhusker march in the second quarter with a one-yard plunge to give NU a 7-3 halftime edge. The Huskers held that lead until Bobby Score by Quarters Final Arkansas Nebraska Statistics ARK NU First Downs Net Rushing Passes A-C-I Passing Yards Total Offense Burnett finished the Arkansas drive with a three-yard TD run with 4:41 left in the game. First downs were even in the game at 11, while Arkansas held a slim advantage in total offense,

6 Nine Huskers to Return to Lone Star State Nebraska will have nine players returning to their home state for the Cotton Bowl, including senior offensive lineman including Greg Austin (Cypress), junior defensive back Titus Brothers (San Antonio), sophomore I-back Cody Glenn (Rusk), freshman wide receiver Will Henry (El Paso), freshman wide receiver Patrick Kitzul (Driftwood), junior wide receiver Terrence Nunn (Houston), senior linebacker Mark O Shea (Dallas), senior defensive tackle Matt O Shea (Dallas), junior tight end J.B. Phillips (Colleyville) and freshman punter Michael Such (Allen). The nine players from Texas represents the second-most from any state other than Nebraska, trailing only California. Nebraska has a pair of players on its roster who will be facing an in-state foe in Auburn. Junior center Brett Byford is a native of Hartselle, Ala., while redshirt freshman defensive back Ryan Ford hails from Winfield, Ala. Nineteen Husker Seniors to Close Career In 2007 Cotton Bowl Nineteen Nebraska seniors will play their final game in Husker uniforms against Auburn in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. The 2007 group of seniors includes... Eleven seniors who have spent five years in the NU program Nine native Nebraskans Nebraska s all-time leading passer The Huskers all-time leader in pass receptions and receiving yardage by a tight end A pair of defensive ends who rank in the top 10 on Nebraska s career tackles for loss list Two Academic All-Americans Five players who joined the program as walk-ons and have since been placed on scholarship Twelve players who will participate in the Cotton Bowl as college graduates 2006 Nebraska Seniors Jordan Adams, S, Santee, Calif. Greg Austin, OG, Cypress, Texas Stewart Bradley, LB, Salt Lake City, Utah Adam Carriker, DE, Kennewick, Wash. Barry Cryer, DT, Marrero, La. Ola Dagunduro, NT, Inglewood, Calif. Isaiah Fluellen, CB, Ramstein, Germany Matt Herian, TE, Pierce, Neb. Andy Kadavy, LB, Seward, Neb. Lane Kelly, LS, Omaha, Neb. Newton Lingenfelter, OL, Plainview, Neb. Kurt Mann, C, Grand Island, Neb. Jay Moore, DE, Elkhorn, Neb. Mark O Shea, LB, Dallas, Texas Will Otto, FB, Fullerton, Calif. Brandon Rigoni, S, Lincoln, Neb. Andrew Shanle, S, St. Edward, Neb. Zac Taylor, QB, Norman, Okla. Dane Todd, FB, Lincoln, Neb Cotton Bowl #12 Nebraska 19, #8 Texas 3 Dallas, Jan. 1, 1974 Nebraska broke open a tight contest in the third quarter with a pair of game-breaking plays en route to a 19-3 win over Texas in the 1974 Cotton Bowl. The two teams battled to a 3-3 halftime tie in Tom Osborne s first bowl game as NU head coach, but the Huskers controlled the second half. Nebraska safety Bob Thornton returned a missed Texas field goal 41 yards to set up the go-ahead score. Ritch Bahe got the final 12 yards on a reverse to give Nebraska a 10-3 edge with 4:18 to play in the third. Four plays later, John Bell recovered a Texas fumble at the Longhorn 19, and three plays after that Tony Davis scored from three yards out to make it Rich Sanger kicked a 43-yard fourth quarter field goal to account for the final score. Nebraska was tough on defense, holding Texas to just 196 yards of offense Cotton Bowl #8 Houston 17, #7 Nebraska 14 Dallas, Jan. 1, 1980 Houston quarterback Terry Elston threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Eric Herring on fourth down with 12 seconds remaining to give the Cougars a victory in the 1980 Cotton Bowl. Nebraska struck first as I-back Jarvis Redwine scored on a nine-yard run late in the first quarter. Houston came back to tie it at 7-7 on a TD run by Elston in the second quarter. The teams battled to a scoreless third quarter before Houston took a 10-7 lead with 8:25 to play on a 41-yard field goal. The Nebraska defense forced a Cougar fumble and drove 31 yards in six plays to take a lead on a Jeff Quinn to Jeff Finn six-yard touchdown pass with 3:56 remaining. Houston responded however, driving 66 yards for the winning score in the waning seconds. Last Year s Bowl Game Nebraska 32, Michigan 28 in Alamo Bowl San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 28, 2005 Nebraska made Bill Callahan s first bowl trip as Husker head coach a memorable one, staging a fourth-quarter rally to defeat Michigan, 32-28, in the 2005 Alamo Bowl. The Huskers battled back from an 11-point deficit with less than nine minutes to play to knock off the 20th-ranked Wolverines. Senior I-back Cory Ross capped his Nebraska career as the Alamo Bowl MVP by rushing for 161 yards on 28 carries, including a 31-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run to start NU s rally. Wideout Terrence Nunn capped the Husker comeback with his second touchdown catch of the game on a 13-yard connection from Zac Taylor with 4:29 remaining in the game. Nunn opened the scoring with a 52-yard touchdown catch from Taylor in the first quarter. Michigan quarterback Chad Henne threw two touchdown passes to give Michigan a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter, before Taylor tied the game with a 14-yard strike to Nate Swift. Place-kicker Jordan Congdon gave NU a lead midway through the third quarter with his school-record 19th field goal of the season. Henne gave Michigan the lead back on his third touchdown pass, before pushing the Wolverine margin to with a seven-yard touchdown run with 11:40 to play. Score by Quarters Final Texas Nebraska Statistics UT NU First Downs Net Rushing Passes A-C-I Passing Yards Total Offense Score by Quarters Final Nebraska Houston Statistics NU UH First Downs Net Rushing Passes A-C-I Passing Yards Total Offense Score by Quarters Final Michigan Nebraska Statistics UM NU First Downs Rushing Yards Passes A-C-I Passing Yards Total Offense Sacks by Leading NU Rusher: Cory Ross, 28 carries, 161 yards, 1 TD Leading NU Passer: Zac Taylor, , 167 yards, 3 TD Leading NU Receiver: Terrence Nunn, 4 receptions, 91 yards, 2 TD After Nebraska s rally, the outcome was not decided until the game s final play as Henne completed a short pass to Jason Avant to begin a series of laterals that concluded with Tyler Ecker rumbling 62 yards to the NU 13 where he was knocked out of bounds by Titus Brothers and Zack Bowman to end the game. 13

7 Huskers Under Callahan Overall vs. AP Ranked Teams vs. AP Top 10 Teams vs. Unranked Teams vs. Big 12 Teams When Rushing for 200 or more yards When Rushing for 300 or more yards When passing for 200 or more yards When passing for 300 or more yards When NU player rushes for 100 Yards When NU has two 100-yard rushers in same game When Opponent has 100 Yd. Rusher When Scoring 35 or More Points When Hold Opp. to 10 Pts. or less When Nebraska scores first When Nebraska leads at halftime When Nebraska trails at halftime When Nebraska is tied at halftime Record in games decided by 11 points or more Record in games decided by 10 or less Record in games decided by 7 or less Record in games decided by 3 or less Record in overtime games Nebraska Walk-on Tradition Thrives Under Callahan s Leadership The Nebraska walk-on program is alive and well under the leadership of Head Coach Bill Callahan. Since the conclusion of spring ball, four native Nebraskans who originally joined the program as walk-ons have been awarded scholarships. The group includes senior safety Brandon Rigoni (Lincoln), senior linebacker Andy Kadavy (Seward), junior safety Ben Eisenhart (Culbertson) and sophomore receiver Todd Peterson (Grand Island). The four walk-ons who were awarded scholarships pushed the total of former walk-ons Callahan has put on scholarship to 17 since his arrival in January of Of that group, 13 were native Nebraskans. NU Staff Boasts Extensive Bowl Experience Callahan has built a coaching staff with championship credentials, both on the collegiate and professional level. The Husker staff also has ample bowl experience. Head Coach Bill Callahan has been involved in six bowl games, including three as an assistant coach at Illinois, a pair of bowl trips while an assistant at Wisconsin and last year s Alamo Bowl as Nebraska head coach. Overall, Nebraska coaches have a combined 66 bowl appearances, when including stints as graduate assistants. Cornerbacks coach Phil Elmassian leads the way with 16 bowl appearances, while defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove has 13 bowl appearances as an assistant coach. None of NU s coaches have participated in a Cotton Bowl. Previous Bowl Appearances by NU Assistants Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove 13 Offensive Coordinator Jay Norvell 5 Safeties/Special Teams Coach Bill Busch 8 Cornerbacks Coach Phil Elmassian 16 Receivers Coach Ted Gilmore 4 Running Backs Coach Randy Jordan 1 Offensive Line Coach Dennis Wagner 6 Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator Shawn Watson 7 4Callahan's coaching staff features three coaches who have either played or coached in the Super Bowl. Callahan and Offensive Coordinator Jay Norvell coached in Super Bowl XXXVII with Oakland, and running backs coach Randy Jordan was a player on that team. 4In addition to the NFL success of the coaches, Callahan's staff has a history of winning championships at the collegiate level. Members of the Nebraska coaching staff have been part of teams that have captured league titles in each of the following conferences Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Mid- American, Mountain West, Pac-10 and Western Athletic. Noting the 2006 Huskers Nebraska Head Coach Bill Callahan Bill Callahan is in his third season as the head coach of the Nebraska football program and owns a record with the Huskers, including a 1-0 record in bowl games. Callahan is the 27th head coach in Husker history, taking the reins of the program in January of Callahan capped his second season at Nebraska with three consecutive wins, including a triumph over Michigan in the Alamo Bowl. The 2005 season marked the first time Nebraska has won its final three games of the season since Callahan also guided Nebraska to wins over Kansas State and Colorado in the same season for the first time since In 2006, Callahan has guided Nebraska to its first nine-win season in three years and led the Huskers to a sweep of its Big 12 North Division foes. The Husker offense has also ranked among the nation s best, ranking in the top 25 in all four major statistical categories. Callahan came to Nebraska after two seasons as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders. He guided Oakland to the AFC Championship and Super Bowl XXXVII in his rookie season as a head coach in 2002, and compiled a overall record as the Raiders' head man. Callahan is one of five coaches to take a collegiate head coaching job after previously guiding a team to a Super Bowl appearance. Army Head Coach Bobby Ross is also active in the college ranks, while George Allen, Forrest Gregg and Bill Walsh previously led teams to the Super Bowl and returned to the college game. The 50-year-old Callahan spent nine years in the National Football League, beginning his pro coaching career with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1995 to He served as an assistant with the Raiders for four seasons from 1998 to 2001, before taking over the top job in Oakland in Callahan had extensive experience at the collegiate level before taking the job at Nebraska. Before moving into the professional ranks, Callahan served as the offensive line coach at Wisconsin for five seasons and also had assistant coaching stints at Illinois, Northern Arizona and Southern Illinois. Overall, Callahan is in his 29th year in the coaching profession. In addition to his nine years in the National Football League and 15 previous seasons as a collegiate assistant, Callahan was an assistant coach for two seasons in the Illinois prep ranks in 1978 and Callahan has Midwest roots, as he is a native of Chicago. He earned his bachelor's degree from Illinois Benedictine in He was an NAIA honorable-mention All-America selection as a quarterback in each of his final two seasons. Matchup with Auburn Continues Difficult 2006 Nebraska Schedule Nebraska has faced a challenging schedule in 2006, and it will get no easier with the Cotton Bowl matchup against 10th-ranked Auburn. The Tigers will be the fourth opponent on Nebraska s 2006 schedule ranked in the nation s top 10 at game time. Among the 64 teams participating in bowl games, just four squads have faced four teams ranked in the top 10 at game time. Auburn is one of five Husker opponents ranked in the most recent Associated Press Top 25. Again, this puts Nebraska in a small group among School bowl teams. Just eight of the 64 bowl teams have played five or more teams currently ranked in the nation s top 25. Auburn will be Nebraska s ninth opponent in 14 games in 2006 that will participate in a bowl game. Kansas was also bowl-eligible, but was not selected to play in the postseason. The Husker schedule appeared to be difficult from the start this season, School as Nebraska was the only team to face both teams that particpated in last year s national title game USC and Texas. 4USC (No. 4) and Texas (No. 5) were both ranked in the top five at game time. This season marked the first time Nebraska had faced a pair of top five teams in the same season since 2001, when NU played second-ranked Oklahoma in Lincoln and No. 1 Miami in the Rose Bowl. 4The four top-10 opponents in 2006 is Nebraska s most since also facing four top 10 teams en route to the 1995 national championship. Facing the Best Among the 64 bowl teams Nebraska has faced one of the nation s toughest schedules. The Huskers matchup with Auburn is their ninth of the season against a bowl team and fourth versus a top-10 opponent. Most Games Against Top 10 Top-10 Foes* 1. Arkansas 5 2. Nebraska 4 Cincinnati 4 LSU 4 Most Games vs. Current Top 25 Top-25 Foes 1. Arkansas 6 USC 6 3. Nebraska 5 Cincinnati 5 LSU 5 Penn State 5 Florida 5 Alabama 5 *-Ranked in top 10 at game time North Division Sweep Keys NU Trip to Kansas City Nebraska earned a trip to the Big 12 Championship Game in 2006 due largely to its play within the conference s North Division. Dating back to last season, Nebraska has won seven straight games against Big 12 North opponents, its longest divisional winning streak in six years. The Huskers won nine straight from 1998 to 2000, capturing their final North game in 1998, all five games against divisional foes in 1999 and the first three in Including 2006, in each of the four seasons Nebraska has represented the North in the Big 12 title game (also 1996, 1997, 1999), the Huskers have posted a 5-0 record in divisional games, a mark Nebraska matched with its win over Colorado. Nebraska is the first North Division team to complete divisional play undefeated since

8 2006 HUSKER OFFENSE NU s Offensive Games under Callahan yards vs. Troy, yards vs. Louisiana Tech, yards vs. Western Illinois, yards vs. Kansas, yards vs. Baylor, yards vs. Nicholls State, 2006 NU s Top Rushing Games under Callahan yards vs. Western Illinois, yards vs. Troy, yards vs. Southern Miss, yards vs. Nicholls State, yards vs. Missouri, yards vs. Louisiana Tech, yards at Iowa State, 2006 Nebraska Total Offense Stats Nebraska is averaging yards per game in total offense to rank ninth nationally, Nebraska s best total offensive output since 2001 when Nebraska averaged yards per game. In fact, Nebraska has averaged more than 400 yards of total offense just twice in the past eight years. Prior to 1998, Nebraska averaged better than 400 yards per game for 24 straight seasons. This year s total offense average is a yard improvement over the 2005 offense, which ranked 96th nationally. Year Total Offense Nebraska Scoring Offense Stats The Huskers rank 13th nationally in scoring offense at 31.8 points per game. Nebraska last averaged better than 30 points per game in 2001, when the Huskers posted 37.4 points per game. That season was the 24th straight year the Huskers had averaged at least 30 points a game. Nebraska has scored 27 or more points in 12 of 16 games dating back to the final three games of the 2005 season. Year Scoring Offense Memorial Stadium Firepower Nebraska ranks 13th nationally in scoring offense at 31.8 points per game, thanks primarily to an impressive offensive output at home. NU averaged 50.0 points per game in its first four home games and averaged 41.6 per game at home in Nebraska scored 14 points in each quarter against Nicholls State and Troy, and had a streak of 10 straight quarters at home with 14 or more points, including the final quarter against Louisiana Tech and the first quarter against Kansas. NU scored at least one touchdown in 24 of 28 quarters at home this season. Nebraska scored at least 49 points in three straight home games to open the season. The last time Nebraska scored 49 or more points in three straight home games was in 1996, when NU defeated Baylor (49-0), Kansas (63-7) and Missouri (51-7). This marks only the third time in school history Nebraska has scored 49 or more points in each of its first three home games (1996, 1974). Nebraska has scored at least 24 points in 10 of its last 11 home games Husker Offense Showing Balance, Explosiveness and Flexibility Nebraska has featured excellent balance and firepower on offense in The Huskers have posted four of the top six total offense efforts in Bill Callahan s three seasons as head coach, including a season-high 597 yards against Troy, the most by Nebraska in five seasons. Nebraska has also topped 500 yards against Louisiana Tech (584) and Kansas (511), while just missing the mark against Nicholls State (498). In the latest NCAA rankings, Nebraska stacks up well nationally on offense. The Huskers rank 13th nationally in scoring offense (31.8 ppg), ninth in total offense (428.8 ypg), 25th in rushing offense (175.6 ypg) and 18th in passing offense (253.2 ypg). Nebraska is one of just three teams in the nation to rank in the top 25 in rushing offense, passing offense, total offense and scoring offense, joining Louisville and Oregon. The Huskers 2006 offense has shown the explosiveness and efficiency Head Coach Bill Callahan is seeking in Nebraska s version of the West Coast Offense. 4 The 597 yards of total offense against Troy were the most by Nebraska in Callahan s three seasons as head coach, and the most since a 688-yard effort at Baylor in Nebraska has had four of its top five offensive outputs under Callahan in Nebraska's average in total offense is its best in five seasons and is yards better than its total offensive output in Against Louisiana Tech, Nebraska topped 250 yards in both rushing and passing for the first time in a decade (Kansas, 1996). It took Nebraska exactly three weeks to accomplish the feat again, as the Huskers rushed for 316 yards and passed for 281 yards against Troy. 4 The Huskers have produced four of their top seven rushing efforts under Callahan this season, with 316 yards against Troy, 261 yards against Nicholls State, 252 vs. Louisiana Tech and 251 yards at Iowa State. Before the 316-yard outburst against Troy, Nebraska last topped 300 yards on the ground against Western Illinois in Nebraska s back-to-back 250-yard rushing efforts to open the season marked the first time NU had topped 250 yards on the ground in consecutive games since 2004 (Western Illinois and Southern Miss). Nebraska has topped 200 yards on the ground five times in 2006, after posting a season-high of 182 yards last season, a mark Nebraska has topped eight times in The Huskers showed the ability to rely on the pass when needed. Nebraska threw for 395 yards, the second-most in school history, in a overtime win over Kansas. 4 With an impressive running attack, Nebraska has shown the ability to control the clock. NU has held the ball more than 33:44 in eight games this season, including 34:51 or better in October road games at Iowa State, Kansas State and Oklahoma State. The Huskers are averaging 32:39 of possession time, a figure that ranks fifth nationally. Last season Nebraska averaged 29:56 of possession time per game. Nebraska has run 74 more offensive plays than its opponents this season. Charting the 2006 Husker Offense Coach Bill Callahan stressed the importance of an improved run game in Nebraska has responded, averaging yards per game on the ground to rank fifth in the Big 12 and 25th in the nation. Game Rushes Rush Yds. Passes Pass Yds. TO TOP LT :05 NSU :44 USC :36 Troy :14 KU :31 ISU :55 KSU :51 UT :24 OSU :59 MU :11 A&M :52 Colorado :49 Oklahoma :21 Pct. of Total Offense Via Rush: 41.0% Pct. of Total Offense Via Pass: 59.0% 4 The Huskers are converting 46.0 percent (85-of-186) of their third-down attempts, including 11-of-16 against Louisiana Tech, 11-of-17 against Missouri and 7-for-11 vs. Troy. The rate ranks 16th nationally. 4 Nebraska racked up 30 first downs in each of its first two games, the first time the Huskers had back-toback games with 30 first downs since the 2001 season (Texas Tech, Baylor). On the year, Nebraska has 119 first downs by rush, 136 by pass and 13 by penalty. 4 Nebraska has spread the wealth on offense. Seventeen different players have scored touchdowns, with seven different players scoring TDs in each of the first two games. 4 In wins over Louisiana Tech and Nicholls State, Nebraska topped 49 points in consecutive games for the first time since 2000, when Nebraska topped 49 points in three straight games at mid-season (Iowa State, Texas Tech, Baylor). The Husker offense left an impression on Troy Head Coach Larry Blakeney following the 56-0 Nebraska win in September... That is the best football team we have faced in a long time. I don t know what they call that offense, if it is West Coast or East Coast or South Coast or Canadian or whatever, but it was very well-designed and gave us more than we could handle. Their style of play and their physical approach and their ability with Zac Taylor to throw the football down the field really gave us more than we could handle.

9 Impressive Offensive Improvement Nebraska has made great strides on offense in the third year of Coach Callahan s West Coast Offense in Lincoln. The Huskers are one of three teams that rank in the top 25 nationally in scoring offense, total offense, rushing offense and total offense. Nebraska is ninth in total offense, up from 96th a year ago. Here is a quick look at Nebraska s offensive improvement from 2005 to Rushing Offense yards per game (107th nationally) ypg (25th) Difference yards per game Passing Offense ypg ( ypg (18th) Difference yards per game Total Offense ypg (96th) ypg (9th) Difference yards per game Scoring Offense points per game (107th nationally) ppg (13th) Difference points per game Big 12 Conference POW Nominees Game Offense Defense Special Teams La. Tech Taylor Carriker none Nicholls Taylor Bradley none USC none Bradley Titchener Troy Lucky Suh Rigoni Kansas Hardy Shanle none Iowa St. Glenn Ruud none K-State Jackson Bradley Wesch Texas Jackson Ruud Titchener Okla. St. Jackson Carriker none Mizzou Taylor Ruud Congdon A&M Taylor Carriker Turner Colorado Taylor Carriker Turner Bold indicates winner Nebraska Season Passing Player, Year Yards 1. Zac Taylor, , Zac Taylor, , Dave Humm, , Vince Ferragamo, , Joe Dailey, , Jerry Tagge, , Tom Sorley, , Dave Humm, , Turner Gill, , Eric Crouch, ,510 Nebraska Career Passing Player, Years Yards 1. Zac Taylor, 2005-present 5, Dave Humm, , Jerry Tagge, , Eric Crouch, , Tommie Frazier, , Turner Gill, , Vince Ferragamo, , Jammal Lord, , Steve Taylor, , Scott Frost, ,677 Top Passing Games in NU History Rank, Player, Game Yards 1. Zac Taylor, 2005 vs. Iowa State Zac Taylor, 2006 vs. Kansas Zac Taylor, 2005 at Colorado Joe Dailey, 2004 vs. Baylor Joe Dailey, 2004 vs. Colorado Fast Starting Huskers Jumping on Opponents Early Nebraska has had great success early in games, outscoring the opposition in the first quarter, allowing only touchdowns by Oklahoma (2), USC, Texas A&M and Colorado and a field goal by Texas. A large part of that first quarter success has come during Nebraska s first drive of the game. The Huskers have scored on their first drive of the game seven times in 13 games, including four straight games from Troy to Kansas State. Nebraska also scored touchdowns on its opening drives against Nicholls State and Colorado, and kicked a field goal on its initial drive at Oklahoma State. Nebraska kicked a field goal on its second drive of the day at Missouri, and scored a touchdown on its second drive at Texas A&M. In games against Troy, Kansas, Iowa State and Kansas State, Nebraska lost the coin toss each week and the opposition deferred, giving the football to the Huskers. Nebraska responded by driving for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead in each of the four games. Nebraska had ball-control drives to open the game against Troy (10 plays, 73 yards, 5:47), Iowa State (10 plays, 80 yards, 5:27) and Kansas State (9 plays, 80 yards, 3:54), while striking quickly against Kansas (2 plays, 80 yards, :50). Nebraska has scored first in 11 of 13 games this season, failing to do so only against Texas and Oklahoma. The Huskers did put a touchdown on the board on their second drive of the game of the game against Texas. The Big 12 Championship Game loss to Oklahoma marked the only time this season Nebraska did not score a point in the first quarter. Nebraska Looks to Continue Red Zone Efficiency Against Stingy Auburn Defense Nebraska is among the Big 12 and nation s best offenses at converting Red Zone opportunities into touchdowns. The Huskers have converted 42-of-49 red zone trips into scores, an 85.7 percent success rate. The Huskers have scored 39 touchdowns in the Red Zone including 20 by rush and 19 by pass. The Huskers Red Zone success was even more impressive in Big 12 Conference play. Nebraska was perfect in its first seven league games in the Red Zone, before a third-quarter fumble against Colorado ended the string at 20 straight conversions. Nebraska converted three later Red Zone trips into touchdowns and finished regularseason Big 12 Conference play 23-of-24 in the Red Zone, including 20 touchdowns. The Huskers were 1-of-3 in the Red Zone against Oklahoma, giving the ball away on downs and on a turnover in the fourth quarter. Auburn will present a formidable challenge for Nebraska if it hopes to continue its success in the Red Zone. Tiger opponents have converted just 20-of-32 Red Zone chances, including only 12 touchdowns. The Tigers rank seventh nationally in scoring defense. Quarterback Taylor Leading Husker Offense, Continuing to Re-Write NU Passing Records Senior quarterback Zac Taylor is the man at the helm of Nebraska s offense. The 6-2, 210-pound Taylor had a record-setting 2005 campaign, then was even more efficient as a senior, breaking most of his own season records, while shattering the majority of Nebraska s career passing records. Taylor was honored for his 2006 performance when post-season awards were handed out. The Norman, Okla., native was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year by both the Big 12 Coaches and the Associated Press, along with nearly every major newspaper in the region that selects an All-Big 12 team. Taylor earned first-team All-Big 12 honors by nearly every service. The senior also was voted Nebraska s Offensive Most Valuable Player by his teammates. Taylor began his assault on the Nebraska record book almost from the day he made his first career start in September of 2005, and continues to re-write the Husker record book. Taylor threw for a touchdown pass against Oklahoma, his school-record 44th career scoring strike, breaking the old record of 43 by Tommie Frazier from 1992 to Taylor has 25 TD passes this season, easily surpassing the previous season touchdown passes record of 20 by Vince Ferragamo in Taylor threw 16 touchdown passes and just two interceptions in eight regular-season Big 12 games. Taylor has at least one TD pass in each of Nebraska s last 10 games, and has eight games this season with two or more touchdown passes. Taylor became Nebraska s career passing yardage leader against Texas A&M. With 267 yards against the Aggies, Taylor moved his career total to 5,193 yards, bettering the previous NU career record of 5,035 yards by Dave Humm from 1972 to Taylor s career total now stands at 5,724 yards. 4Taylor pushed his season passing total to 3,071 yards with his Taylor s Nebraska Records Here is a list of some of the career and season Nebraska records held by Husker senior quarterback Zac Taylor. For a full bio and stat recap on Taylor, please see his bio on pages Career Passing Yards 5,724 yards in 25 games (old record: 5,035 yards) Pass Completions 456 (old record: 353) Pass Attempts 795 (old record: 637) Passing Yards per Game ypg (old record: ypg) Touchdowns 44 (old record: 43) Season Passing Yards 3,071 (old record: 2,653 by Taylor in 2005) Pass Completions 237 by Taylor in 2005 (219 this season) Pass Attempts 430 by Taylor in 2005 (365 this season) Passing Yards per Game ypg (old record: by Taylor in 2005) Touchdowns 25 (old record: 20) 282 yards against Oklahoma. He has bettered his own season record of 2,653 passing yards last season. Taylor s recent record assault capped an impressive 2006 season and two-year Nebraska career.

10 Three Seniors Serving as 2006 Captains A trio of Husker seniors have served as captains for the 2006 Huskers. The captains, elected in a vote of their teammates, are quarterback Zac Taylor, defensive end Adam Carriker and safety/special teams standout Brandon Rigoni. Taylor, a native of Norman, Okla., set a Nebraska singleseason passing record as a junior last season and broke the record this year. Taylor becomes the second member of his family to serve as a team captain in college football. His father, Sherwood, was a starting defensive back at Oklahoma in the late 1970s and served as a Sooner captain. Carriker was named Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year as a senior, after being named a preseason All-America selection by several media outlets. A native of Kennewick, Wash., Carriker is the first Washington native to serve as a Nebraska captain. Rigoni continued the tradition of NU captains from Lincoln. The 2006 season marks the third time in the past four years Nebraska has had a hometown captain. At the start of fall camp Rigoni was awarded a scholarship for his senior season. Husker Offense Hitting Home Runs Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor threw three touchdown passes of 75 yards or more in Nebraska s victory over Kansas. Taylor connected on 78 and 75 yard scores to Frantz Hardy, in addition to a 75-yard scoring strike to Terrence Nunn on the game's second play. The 78-yard pass play is the secondlongest in the Big 12 this season and the 75-yarders are tied for third. The three long touchdown strikes in a single-game were an extremely rare feat. The game marked the first time Nebraska had ever had three passes of 75 yards or more in a single game in school history. In fact, before the Kansas game Nebraska had never had more than two passes of 75 yards or more in a season. The three long touchdown passes were three of just 16 pass plays of 75 yards or more in Nebraska history. Research indicates the feat by Nebraska is a first in the Big 12 Conference and quite rare on the national level. Kentucky also accomplished the feat against Georgia in 2000, and Virginia Tech turned the trick against Syracuse in 2002, but no other school has indicated they have had three passes of 75 yards or more in the same game. Nebraska now has 25 pass plays of 70 yards or more in school history, with seven of those coming in Bill Callahan's 30 games as Husker head coach. Before 2006, NU had just three seasons with two pass plays of 70 yards or more, with two of those being 2004 and Third-Down Success Key for Huskers The Nebraska offense has ranked among the nation s best in converting third downs. The Huskers rank third in the Big 12 and 16th nationally with a 46.0 percent success rate. The defensive effort on third downs has been equally important. NU is 26th nationally in stopping opponent thirddown conversions, with a 32.8 percent conversion rate. In the Huskers nine victories, opponents have converted just 33-of-121 (27.2 percent) of their third-down attempts. However, in four losses the opposition has combined to convert 26-of-59 third downs (44.1 percent). Nebraska wins over Missouri and Texas A&M showed the importance of third-down conversions. Against Mizzou, Nebraska converted 11-of-17 third-down attempts, while limiting the Tigers to just 3-of-13. Nebraska dominated the first half defensively in its win at Texas A&M, in large part because of the Aggies 0-of-5 third-down performance. In the second half, Texas A&M scored 17 points and converted on 5-of-9 third-down attempts. Nebraska struggled offensively on third downs in its loss to Oklahoma, converting just 3-of-15. Nebraska has converted 52 percent on third down in its victories and just 32.8 percent in its three losses. Third Down Success Nebraska on 3rd downs Opponents on 3rd downs In Nebraska s nine wins (52.0 percent) (27.2 percent) In Nebraska s three losses (32.8 percent) (50 percent) 17 Taylor has completed 60.0 percent of his passes in 2006 (219-of-365), up from 55.1 percent in Taylor has 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and his pass efficiency rating of ranks 19th in the country. His pass efficiency rating against Nicholls State (213.77) was the eighth-best in school history. Taylor has twice thrown for a career-high four touchdown passes (Nicholls State, Kansas), bettering the three touchdown passes in his previous two games (Louisiana Tech, Michigan). In Nebraska s last 16 games dating back to last season, Taylor has thrown for 32 touchdowns against just nine interceptions. Against Louisiana Tech, Taylor had a streak of 11 straight completions, including eight straight completions for 98 yards in engineering a two-minute drive before halftime. Against Nicholls State, Taylor s first pass attempt fell incomplete, but he completed his next 12 pass attempts before an incompletion. The 12 straight completions were three off the Nebraska school record. He opened the Troy game by completing 12 of 13 passes. Taylor had a streak of 104 straight passes without an interception end at Texas A&M, his third streak of the season of 80 or more passes without a pick. He had a streak of 83 straight passes without an interception end in the second quarter against Troy, and a streak of 84 consecutive without a pick end vs. Texas. Taylor s 395-yard passing effort against Kansas was the second-highest total in Nebraska history, trailing only his 431 yards against Iowa State in Taylor owns the top three single-game passing efforts in NU history. He has 16 games with 200 or more passing yards (10 in 2006), including 14 of the past 18 games. Against Kansas, Taylor had the three longest passes of his NU career, a 78-yard strike to Frantz Hardy and a pair of 75-yard touchdown passes, one each to Hardy and Terrence Nunn. In the past 10 games, Taylor has six of the eight longest passes of his Nebraska career and has completed 37 passes of 20 yards or more, including five of 60 yards or more. Taylor has completed passes to 13 different receivers, and thrown TD passes to 10 different Huskers. Taylor has 456 career pass completions, a Husker record, eclipsing the 353 by Humm. Taylor has totaled 3,044 yards of total offense in 13 games in 2006, a Nebraska season record, bettering the 2,774 yards by Jammal Lord in Taylor has 5,656 yards of total offense in his two-year career, second behind 2001 Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch on the NU career chart. Last season, Taylor shattered several game and season passing records in his first year after transferring from Butler County Community College in Kansas. Among the top accomplishments for Taylor in 2005 were: 4 Taylor's 2,653 passing yards established an NU single-season record, shattering the previous single-season NU record of 2,074 yards by Humm in Taylor's passing total marked just the fifth time in school history a quarterback had passed for more than 2,000 yards in a season. He has added the sixth 2,000-yard season in Taylor posted what were at the time the two highest passing outputs in NU history with 431 yards vs. Iowa State and 392 yards at Colorado. All five individual 300-yard passing days in NU history have come with Bill Callahan as head coach, including three by Taylor. 4 Taylor threw for two or more touchdown passes in eight of the season s final nine games, including a season-high three TD passes against Michigan in the Alamo Bowl. 4 Taylor set numerous other school records, including most pass attempts (55) and completions (36) in a game vs. Iowa State, and most pass attempts (430) and completions (237) in a season. Zac Taylor Game-by-Game in 2006 Game Att. Comp. Yards TD INT Long La. Tech (Herian) Nicholls (Purify) USC (Herian) Troy (Nunn) Kansas (Hardy) Iowa State (Purify) Kansas St (Purify) Texas (Purify) Okla. State (Hardy) Missouri (Jackson) Texas A&M (Lucky) Colorado (Erickson) Oklahoma (Peterson) Totals , Completion Pct. 60.0% Breakdown of Taylor s pass distribution... Game Yards # of Receivers Leading Receiver (Yds) Leading Receiver (Catches) Louisiana Tech Matt Herian (61) Terrence Nunn (5) Nicholls State Maurice Purify (61) Herian (4) USC Herian, B. Jackson (36) Jackson (4) Troy Nunn (102) Nunn (4) Kansas Frantz Hardy (159) Purify (4) Iowa State Purify (35) Marlon Lucky (3) Kansas State Purify (73) Purify (4) Texas Purify, Nunn (84) Nunn (5) Oklahoma State Purify (65) Purify (6) Missouri Jackson (61) Lucky (4) Texas A&M Todd Peterson (82) Peterson (7) Colorado Dan Erickson (57) Jackson (6) Oklahoma Peterson (72) Jackson (5)

11 Charting the Husker Backs in 2006 Game Lucky Glenn Jackson Wilson Total LT NSU USC Troy INJ KU ISU KSU UT (-1) OSU MU DNP DNP A&M CU INJ OU INJ (-2) Totals , Avg. Carries per game: 34.1 Avg. yards per game: 176.6; Avg. per carry: 5.2 Receiving: Jackson ; Lucky ; Wilson Husker 100-Yard Rushing Games in 2006 Brandon Jackson, 182 yards at OSU (21 carries, 2 TDs) Marlon Lucky, 156 yards vs. Troy (10 carries, 3 TDs) Cody Glenn, 148 yards at Iowa State (19 carries, 2 TDs) Brandon Jackson, 142 yards vs. Colorado (34 carries, TD) Brandon Jackson, 116 yards at Iowa State (22 carries, TD) Brandon Jackson, 111 yards vs. Missouri (32 carries, TD) Kenny Wilson, 106 yards vs. Troy (19 carries, 2 TDs) Marlon Lucky, 103 yards vs. Nicholls State (18 carries, TD) Did you Know? Nebraska s win over Troy marked only the fourth time in school history Nebraska has had two 100-yard rushers and a 100-yard receiver in the same game. Marlon Lucky (156) and Kenny Wilson (106) provided the rushing output, while Terrence Nunn (102) topped the century mark in receiving. The previous three times this has occurred were: vs. Arizona St.: Clinton Childs (143 rushing), Damon Benning (111 rushing), Clester Johnson (129 receiving) vs. Kansas: Tom Rathman (159 rushing), Doug DuBose (109 rushing), Von Sheppard (129 receiving) vs. Minnesota: Mike Rozier (196 rushing), Turner Gill (100 rushing), Irving Fryar (138 receiving) Nebraska Has November to Remember Nebraska posted a 3-0 record in the month of November. The Huskers opened the month with a win over then- No. 25 Missouri (Coaches) in Lincoln to take control of the Big 12 North Division race. Nebraska then clinched the North Division title with a win at No. 24 Texas A&M on Nov. 11. The Huskers closed out the month with a victory over Colorado in Lincoln. This year marked Nebraska s first perfect November since the 1999 campaign, also the last time Nebraska qualified for the Big 12 Championship Game. Nebraska has five straight wins in November, its longest win streak in the month since winning its final game in 1998, all three in 1999 and its first game in November of NU Renews Homecoming Winning Tradition Nebraska s victory over Missouri resumed Nebraska s Homecoming success. The Huskers have won 37 of their last 38 Homecoming games, dropping only a decision to Texas Tech last season. The Huskers are all-time on Homecoming and have won 17 of their last 21 Homecoming contests by 17 points or more. Nebraska is all-time against Missouri on Homecoming. Taylor One of Nation s Best at Protecting the Football Quarterback Zac Taylor ranks 19th nationally in passing efficiency. The lofty rating is due in large part to Taylor s ability to protect the football, having thrown seven interceptions in 365 pass attempts this season. Taylor has streaks of 104, 84, and 83 passes without an interception in Taylor did have three interceptions against Oklahoma, but had not thrown more than one interception in the first 12 games of the season. Taylor is one of five quarterbacks nationally with at least 350 pass attempts and seven or fewer interceptions. QBs with 300+Pass Attempts, 4 or Fewer INT Quarterback, School Attempts INT Brady Quinn, Notre Dame Kevin Kolb, Houston Andre Woodson, Kentucky John Beck, BYU Zac Taylor, Nebraska First-Team All-Big 12 Jackson is Chairman of Nebraska Running Back Committee Nebraska junior I-back Brandon Jackson broke out of Nebraska s I-back pack at mid-season and became a go-to back for the Huskers. In the process, Jackson played his way into numerous post-season honors. He was a first-team All-Big 12 pick by the Associated Press and was a second-team pick by the Big 12 Coaches. Jackson suffered a broken right hand against Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game, forcing him out of the contest in the third quarter. He finished the game with 70 yards on 13 carries and a team-high five pass receptions. Jackson is expected to be able to play against Auburn in the Cotton Bowl. Jackson is tied for second in the Big 12 in rushing at 73.2 yards per game, trailing only Big 12 leader Jon Cornish of Kansas. In Big 12 games only, Jackson has performed at a higher level, averaging 94.4 yards per game to rank third in the conference. Jackson s impressive Big 12 statistics include the Kansas game when he had just four carries for 28 yards. After moving into the starting lineup against Iowa State, Jackson averaged yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry, while scoring seven touchdowns, including five by rush and two receiving scores. The 5-11, 210-pound Jackson capped the regular season with a career-high 34 carries for 142 yards and a touchdown in the win over Colorado. He also caught a career-high six passes for 42 yards and his 41 all-purpose attempts (190 yards) set a Nebraska single-game record. Against Missouri, Jackson carried the ball 32 times for 111 yards and a touchdown and added 61 receiving yards for 172 all-purpose yards. In conference games, Jackson finished third in all-purpose yards per game, averaging yards per game. A week prior to his effort in the win over Missouri, Jackson had a strong performance at Oklahoma State, running 21 times for a career-high 182 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson had four carries of 20 yards or more in the contest, and also caught three passes out of the backfield. Jackson finished the month of October with 66 carries for 430 yards, an average of 6.5 yards per carry. He posted his first two 100-yard rushing games with 116 yards on 22 carries at Iowa State and the 182 yards at Oklahoma State. Jackson also rushed for 92 yards at Kansas State and had 162 all-purpose yards against Texas, including a 49-yard touchdown reception. The 182 yards by Jackson at Oklahoma State were the most by a Husker since Cory Ross ran for 194 yards against Missouri in 2004, a span of 24 games. Jackson pushed his career rushing total past 1,000 yards at Oklahoma State, becoming the 55th Husker to eclipse 1,000 career rushing yards. He currently has 1,393 career yards, 37th on NU s career chart. Jackson has totaled a team-high 951 yards on 181 carries with seven rushing touchdowns. Jackson needs 49 yards in the Cotton Bowl to record the 28th, 1,000-yard rushing season in school history. Jackson has 31 receptions for 319 yards and two touchdowns out of the backfield. The 31 catches rank third on the team and are just outside of the Nebraska season top 10. This marks the second straight year a Nebraska back has had 30 or more receptions. Jackson had a standout freshman year in 2004 when he rushed for 390 yards, but was slowed by injury last season, and carried the football just 18 times. Husker I-Back Committee Continuing to Distribute the Football Entering the 2006 season both Head Coach Bill Callahan and running backs coach Randy Jordan regularly indicated Nebraska would utilize the talents of all four of its I-backs and operate with use of a committee. Although Brandon Jackson has received the majority of the carries down the stretch, all of the backs continue to produce in the Husker offense. The results have been outstanding as four Husker I-backs have combined for 443 carries for 2,296 yards and 25 rushing touchdowns. All four backs have gotten into the act, with each of them having between 71 and 181 carries. All four of the I-backs have topped 100 yards in a game, and have at least four rushing touchdowns. Together the group has keyed a resurgent Nebraska rushing attack. Nebraska opened the year with 252 yards on the ground against Louisiana Tech, then churned out 261 rushing yards in a 56-7 rout of Nicholls State. The Huskers erupted for their top rushing output of the year with 316 yards and six rushing touchdowns in a 56-0 win over Troy, then controlled the football with a 251-yard rushing effort at 18

12 Nebraska Continues Overtime Perfection In Victory over Kansas Nebraska used overtime to win its Big 12 Conference opener for the second straight year defeating Kansas, 39-32, on Sept. 30 in Lincoln. The victory improved Nebraska to 5-0 all-time in overtime contests, and continued remarkable success for the Huskers in extra sessions. Nebraska and Michigan are the only teams with at least five overtime victories to have perfect records in extra play. Michigan is also 5-0. In addition to wins over Iowa State and Kansas the past two seasons, Nebraska also defeated Missouri (1997), Colorado (1999) and Notre Dame (2000) on the road in overtime. Nebraska has scored touchdowns on all six of its overtime possessions, while allowing just one touchdown in overtime play (ISU last season in first overtime). Huskers Continue Nation-Leading Victory Streak in Season Openers Nebraska extended the nation s longest winning streak in season openers with its victory over Louisiana Tech on Sept. 2. The Huskers have now been on the winning end in each of their last 21 season openers, dating back to a loss to Florida State in Louisiana Tech is the second team (also Utah State) to twice be a victim in Nebraska s season-opening win streak. Nebraska also defeated the Bulldogs in the 1998 opener. This year marked one of 14 times in the past 21 years Nebraska has scored 40 or more points in a season opener. In that same period, the Huskers have limited the opposition to 14 points or less 14 times. The Huskers 21-game win streak in season openers is four better than the 17 straight season-opening wins by both Kansas State and Florida. The Huskers have won each of their last 21 season openers by 10 or more points, and own an all-time record in season openers. Since 1973, NU is in season openers, including 24-2 at Memorial Stadium, with losses only to Florida State (1985) and Washington State (1977). In all-time home openers NU is , including at Memorial Stadium. The Huskers are 31-2 in their last 33 home openers. Maurice Purify Game-by-Game Game Rec. Yds. Avg. TD Long La. Tech Nicholls USC Troy Kansas Iowa State Kansas St Texas Okla. St Missouri Texas A&M Colorado Totals NU Single-Season TD Receptions Player, Year TD Catches 1. Johnny Rodgers, Johnny Rodgers, Frosty Anderson, Irving Fryar, Maurice Purify, Terrence Nunn, Nate Swift, five others tied at 7 Iowa State, NU s highest road rushing total in three seasons. Nebraska is averaging yards per game on the ground to rank 25th in the nation and fifth in the Big 12 Conference. The rushing average is a 79.6-yard-per game improvement over 2005, when Nebraska averaged 96.0 rushing yards per game. The four 250-yard-plus rushing efforts are all among the top seven in Bill Callahan s three seasons. In 2005, Nebraska s top rushing effort was 182 yards at Baylor. The Huskers have produced eight rushing efforts of more than 182 yards in Additionally, Nebraska has 26 rushing touchdowns in A year ago, Nebraska rushed for 10 touchdowns. In addition to Jackson, three other backs have played a large role in Nebraska s ground game. Sophomore Marlon Lucky, a native of North Hollywood, Calif., started the first five games and has 640 rushing yards on 116 carries. Lucky produced his first career 100-yard rushing game against Nicholls State with 18 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown, then had a career-best 156 yards on just 10 carries against Troy. Lucky had three touchdown runs of at least 34 yards against the Trojans, and earned Big 12 Offensive Player-of-the-Week honors. The 15.6 yards per carry marked the best for a Husker with at least 10 carries in a game since Damon Benning registered 173 yards on 10 carries against Pacific in Lucky added his fourth TD run of longer than 34 yards with a 40-yard scamper at Kansas State, and has six rushing touchdowns. Lucky is possibly the most versatile of Nebraska s backs. He has 26 receptions for 316 yards, an average of 12.2 yards per reception. Lucky has had at least one catch in 12 of 13 games this season, including a career-high four against Missouri and Texas A&M. He had 46 yards receiving against Missouri and a career-high 56 against Texas A&M, including a career-long 42-yard reception. Lucky had 136 all-purpose yards in the win over the Aggies, and has 1,069 all-purpose yards this season. Lucky was a second-team All-Big 12 selection as an all-purpose player by the Associated Press. Sophomore Cody Glenn is Nebraska s power back, but showed his complete ability against Iowa State. The 6-0, 230-pound Glenn set career highs with 19 carries for 148 yards and two touchdowns against the Cyclones, including the three longest runs of his career. Glenn s previous career rushing high was a team-high 88 yards in the opener against Louisiana Tech. Glenn leads the team with eight rushing touchdowns, the most by a Husker since 2003, and the most by a Nebraska running back since Dahrran Diedrick had 16 in Glenn has two touchdowns each against Nicholls State, Iowa State and Texas A&M and scored the game-winning TD in overtime against Kansas. He has 71 carries for 340 yards. Glenn has missed four games this season because of injuries, including the past two games, but should be ready for the Cotton Bowl matchup against Auburn. Junior Kenny Wilson joined the Huskers as a highly touted junior college prospect. Wilson has 75 carries for 335 yards and four touchdowns. He had his first career 100-yard game with 106 yards on 19 carries against Troy. In Nebraska s win at Iowa State, Glenn and Jackson produced Nebraska s second double 100-yard effort in three weeks. The 100-yard rushing efforts marked the first time a Nebraska running back had topped the century mark in a Big 12 game since Cory Ross at Oklahoma in It was the first time since the 2003 contest at Missouri that Nebraska had a pair of 100-yard rushers in the same conference game. Previously, both Lucky (156) and Wilson (106) topped the century mark against Troy, marking the first time Nebraska has had two 100-yard rushers in the same game since 2004 against Western Illinois, the first game of Bill Callahan s tenure at Nebraska. Purify Provides Husker Offense With Game-Changing Receiver Junior Maurice Purify arrived at Nebraska with all the physical tools to be a go-to receiver for the Huskers. The 6-4, 210-pounder became just that during conference play, ranking among the Big 12 s most dangerous receiving options. The efforts of Purify did not go unnoticed as the Big 12 Coaches made him a second-team All-Big 12 selection. The Eureka, Calif., native has 33 receptions to rank second on the team behind fellow junior Terrence Nunn. Purify has a team-high 621 receiving yards (18.8 ypr) this season, and leads the team with seven touchdown receptions. Purify stepped up his play at the start of Big 12 action, totaling 28 catches for 487 yards, including a career-high six catches at Oklahoma State and four-reception efforts against Kansas and Kansas State. Purify registered his most memorable catch of the season at Texas A&M, snaring a nine-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds remaining to give the Huskers a victory. The touchdown catch was his sixth in Big 12 Conference play. He has caught at least one touchdown pass in four of the past six games. After a TD catch against Nicholls State, Purify had a 27-yard touchdown reception with three seconds left in the first half at Iowa State, giving NU a 21-7 edge. He added his second TD in conference play on a career-long 63-yard TD catch against Texas, then added scoring receptions of 22 and 5 yards in Nebraska s loss at Oklahoma State. He nabbed his sixth touchdown of the season on a leaping seven-yard grab in the second quarter against Missouri, before his catch at A&M. Purify has 14 receptions of 20 yards or longer, including four touchdown grabs. Purify has picked up a first down or touchdown on 28 of his 33 receptions in Also a basketball standout at San Francisco City College, Purify showed his all-around skills against Missouri. In the first quarter, Purify lofted a perfect 28-yard touchdown pass to Terrence Nunn in the back of the end zone on a reverse pass, giving NU a 10-0 lead. In Big 12 games only, Purify s six touchdown receptions ranked fifth in the conference. Purify s seven touchdown receptions are tied for fifth on the NU single-season charts. 19

13 Nebraska Season Receptions Player, Year Receptions 1. Johnny Rodgers, Johnny Rodgers, Nate Swift, Terrence Nunn, Cory Ross, Jeff Kinney, Terrence Nunn, Irving Fryar, Bob Revelle, Wilson Thomas, Nebraska Career Receptions Player, Years Receptions 1. Johnny Rodgers, Terrence Nunn, 2004-present Matt Davison, Jeff Kinney, Guy Ingles, Tim Smith, Cory Ross, Wilson Thomas, Irving Fryar, Tom Penney, Todd Brown, Matt Herian, 2002-present Nate Swift, 2005-present Ross Pilkington, Abdul Muhammad, Jerry List, Dennis Richnafsky, Tracey Wistrom, Bobby Thomas, Chuck Malito, Nebraska Career Receiving Yards Player, Years Yards 1. Johnny Rodgers, , Matt Davison, , Terrence Nunn, 2004-present 1, Matt Herian, 2002-present 1, Irving Fryar, , Guy Ingles, , Tracey Wistrom, , Todd Brown, , Tim Smith, , Bobby Thomas, ,083 Jon Bostick, ,083 Nebraska Career Tight End Receptions Rank, Player, Years Catches 1. Matt Herian, 2002-present Jerry List, Tracey Wistrom, Junior Miller, Jim McFarland, Veteran Receiving Tandem Posting Another Strong Season In addition to Purify, quarterback Zac Taylor s favorite wideout targets are Terrence Nunn and Nate Swift a pair of receivers who made a mark in the Nebraska record book in A year ago, the duo combined for 88 receptions, 1,136 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. In the process, both Nunn and Swift finished in the top five on Nebraska's single-season receptions list. This season Nunn leads Nebraska with 41 receptions for 589 yards and three touchdowns, while Swift has 19 catches for 330 yards. Both players are quickly moving up the career pass receptions list. Nunn had four catches against Oklahoma to push his career total to an even 100 receptions, second on the all-time NU list, seven ahead of Matt Davison. Nunn s 41 receptions this season are tied for sixth on the Husker season charts, just two shy of his 2005 total of 43 receptions, good for fourth on the NU list. Nunn has joined 1972 Heisman winner Johnny Rodgers as the only players with two of the top 10 season reception totals in Nebraska history. Nunn s top two yardage outputs this season were 102 yards on four catches against Troy and 98 yards on three catches, including a career-long 75-yard touchdown, against Kansas. He has added touchdowns against Missouri and Colorado, and has 1,302 career receiving yards, good for third on the NU charts. Swift, only a sophomore, moved into the top 20 on the career receptions list in recent weeks and his 64 career catches are 13th on the career list. In 2005, Swift and Nunn were the most productive singleseason pass catching duo in Nebraska history. Swift did not catch a pass in the first three games of 2005, but exploded at the start of conference play. He had five receptions against Iowa State, then had consecutive nine-reception efforts against Missouri and Oklahoma. He finished the year with 45 receptions for 641 yards and seven touchdowns, all Husker freshman records. His 45 catches were the most by a player in 33 seasons and the third-most ever by a Husker. Swift had caught at least two passes in 10 straight games before being held without catches by Nicholls State and USC. Consecutive Games with a Reception Junior Terrence Nunn has caught a pass in 26 straight games entering the Cotton Bowl. The 26-game streak is the second-longest in school history. Here's a look at the longest streaks in school history. Player Years Games Johnny Rodgers * Terrence Nunn 2004-present 26 Junior Miller Matt Davison * Rodgers caught a pass in every game of his Nebraska career. Nunn caught at least one pass in all 12 games of his sophomore season in 2005, including nine games with three or more receptions. Entering the Cotton Bowl he has caught at least one pass in 26 straight games, the second-longest streak in Nebraska history. The last time Nunn did not have a reception was during his freshman season at Oklahoma. Like Swift, Nunn also caught seven touchdown passes from Taylor in 2005, including a pair of TD receptions in the Alamo Bowl. Nunn has 10 career touchdown receptions. The 2005 season marked the first time in school history Nebraska had three players with 40 or more catches in a single season. This year, Nebraska has three players with more than 30 catches with a fourth in position to join that club in the Cotton Bowl. Effective Tight End Corps Gives Passing Game Another Dimension Senior tight end Matt Herian has made a healthy return to the field in The 6-5, 245-pound Herian missed all of 2005 while recovering from a broken leg he suffered in the eighth game of Herian has caught 12 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Against Louisiana Tech, Herian moved past Tracey Wistrom into first on the tight end career receiving yardage list. Herian enters the Oklahoma game with 1,243 career receiving yards, good for fourth on NU s all-time yardage chart. He had four receptions against Nicholls State, and his two catches at Iowa State moved him past Jerry List s 61 catches from 1968 to Herian s receptions total of 65 is tied for 11th-best among all Huskers, and just one catch from the top 10. Herian is the leader of a group of four tight ends who have made their presence felt in Following Herian s first-quarter touchdown catch in the opener against Louisiana Tech, three of his tight end teammates got into the act in the second half as juniors J.B. Phillips and Josh Mueller, and sophomore Hunter Teafatiller all reached the end zone. The tight end outburst was quite notable... The four touchdowns against Louisiana Tech tied a Nebraska single-game record for touchdowns by a tight end (also 4 at Missouri in 1987). The game marked the first time in school history four different tight ends caught touchdown passes. Nebraska tight ends did not have a TD catch in The previous touchdown catch by a Husker tight end was by Herian in the second game of the 2004 season against Southern Miss. The four tight ends combined for eight receptions for 108 yards and four touchdowns in the opener and have 35 catches for 336 yards and 10 touchdowns in At Kansas State, Teafatiller (17 yards) and Mueller (3 yards) each had a touchdown grab, giving each of NU s four tight ends two touchdown catches this season. Teafatiller added his third touchdown of the season against Missouri, a 17-yarder in the second quarter, then scored Nebraska s only touchdown in the Big 12 title game on a 14-yard reception in the second quarter. Teafatiller has scored a touchdown on four of his five career receptions. 20

14 BLackshirts by the numbers 2006 Sacks Game-by-Game Game Sacks Yds. TFL Yards La. Tech Nicholls USC Troy Kansas Iowa State Kansas St Texas Okla. St Missouri Texas A&M Colorado Oklahoma Total Husker Takeaways Game Fumb. INT Total La. Tech Nicholls USC Troy Kansas Iowa State Kansas St Texas Okla. St Missouri Texas A&M Colorado Oklahoma Totals Blackshirts Against the Pass Game Passes Yds. TD Long Sacks La. Tech Nicholls USC Troy Kansas Iowa St K-State Texas Okla. St Missouri Tx. A&M Colorado Oklahoma Yards per Game 223.3; Yards per Attempt 6.8 Pass Efficiency Defense Rating Blackshirts Against the Run Game Att. Yds. TD Long La. Tech Nicholls USC Troy Kansas Iowa St K-State Texas Okla. St Missouri Tx. A&M Colorado Oklahoma Yards per Game Yards per Attempt Senior Bookends Carriker, Moore Leading 2006 Blackshirt Defense Nebraska led the nation in sacks and tackles for loss in 2005, registering 50 sacks and 140 tackles for loss. That effort helped the Huskers finish in the top 30 nationally in total defense, rushing defense, scoring defense and pass efficiency defense. The leaders of Nebraska s sack attack are dominant senior defensive ends Adam Carriker and Jay Moore, who set the tone for 2006 by each recording first-quarter sacks against Louisiana Tech. The 6-6, 295-pound Carriker, a pre-season All-American and Lombardi candidate, snuffed out the Bulldogs first drive of the game with a seven-yard sack on third down. Carriker has played his best football of the season in recent weeks, beginning with a strong performance at Oklahoma State. Carriker has five sacks in the past five games and leads Nebraska with six sacks this season and is second to Moore with 15 tackles for loss. Carriker dominated the first half at Oklahoma State. He finished the game with six tackles, three tackles for loss (16 yards), a pair of sacks for 10 yards, a pass breakup, a blocked extra point and a quarterback hurry. Carriker added a sack on the game s final play against Texas A&M to secure the Nebraska victory, then added two more sacks (18 yards) against Colorado. The recent surge in sacks gives Carriker 19.5 sacks, sixth on the NU career list. The strong finish to the season helped Carriker to firstteam All-Big 12 honors for the second straight season. He was also chosen as the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year by the league s coaches. A year ago, Carriker led the team in sacks with 9.5 en route to all-league honors. Carriker is among the leaders of a balanced Nebraska defense with 48 total tackles, the most among Husker defensive linemen. His career tackles for loss total of 40 ranks fifth in school history. Carriker leads the 2006 Huskers with 12 quarterback hurries and had his first career interception against Missouri. A native of Elkhorn, Neb., Moore lines up opposite Carriker at the open end spot. The 6-4, 280-pound Moore made a two-yard tackle for loss on Louisiana Tech s first play of the opener, then added a 10-yard sack later in the first quarter to thwart another Bulldog drive. He added his second sack of the season against Troy, and added sacks against Kansas State (13 yards) and Texas (four yards). Moore made his fifth sack of the season in the third quarter against Oklahoma. He also made a key sack on a Kansas two-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter of NU s overtime win. Moore has 39 total Adam Carriker Game-by-Game Game UT AT TT Sacks TFL QBH La. Tech Nicholls USC Troy Kansas Iowa State Kansas St Texas Okla. St Missouri Texas A&M Colorado Oklahoma Totals Jay Moore Game-by-Game Game UT AT TT Sacks TFL QBH La. Tech Nicholls USC Troy Kansas Iowa State Kansas St Texas Okla. St Missouri Texas A&M Colorado Oklahoma Totals Nebraska Career Tackles for Loss Player, Years TFL 1. Grant Wistrom, Barrett Ruud, Trev Alberts, Jim Skow, Adam Carriker, Broderick Thomas, Mike Rucker, Travis Hill, Jay Moore, Le Kevin Smith, tackles, five sacks for 39 yards in losses, and a team-high 16 tackles for loss, totaling 56 yards. He had three tackles for loss in NU s win over Missouri. Moore ranks eighth on Nebraska s career tackles for loss chart. In addition to Moore and Carriker, Nebraska has other sack threats. Senior nose tackle Ola Dagunduro has 3.5 sacks to rank third on the team along with redshirt freshman defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh who has also produced 3.5 sacks for 37 yards. Dagunduro and Suh are tied for fourth on the team in tackles for loss, trailing senior defensive tackle Barry Cryer who has 10 tackles for loss to rank third on the team. Veteran Linebacking Corps Tackling Opponents In addition to a strong front four anchored by Moore and Carriker, Nebraska has a talented and veteran group of linebackers, giving the Blackshirts one of the Big 12 s best front seven units. The Huskers featured returning starters at all three linebacker spots for 2006 senior Sam linebacker Stewart Bradley, junior Mike linebacker Corey McKeon and junior Will linebacker Bo Ruud. The trio had 99, 98 and 97 career tackles, respectively, entering 2006, and have started a combined 75 games in their career. The three players are continuing to rack up impressive tackle numbers in 2006, ranking as three of Nebraska s top four tacklers. Bradley posted his third career double-figure tackle game with a team-high 10 stops at Kansas State, matching his total at USC four weeks earlier. Bradley has forced a pair of fumbles (USC, Texas) and has a team-leading three fumble recoveries (2 vs. Nicholls State, Oklahoma State). The 6-4, 250-pound Bradley leads the team with 69 tackles, including five tackles for loss.

15 Nebraska Football Notables 4 Five national championships (1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997) 4 43 conference championships 4 Three Heisman trophies, eight Outland trophies, four Lombardi awards All-Americans 4 Nation-leading 86 academic All-Americans 4 NCAA-record 282 consecutive sellouts in Memorial Stadium all-time victories fourth in NCAA 4 44 all-time bowl appearances fifth in NCAA home record in last 20 seasons (since 1986) NU Streaks...The Huskers have... 4 won 96 straight when rushing for 400 yards 4 won 120 consecutive games when holding the opponent to 10 or fewer points ( all-time) 4 scored in 138 consecutive games 4 scored in 248 straight home games 4 shut out opponents 103 times Husker Records Report Category... Record All-time Home Memorial Stadium Since Away Road (on campus) Neutral Sites (includes bowls) When Scoring 35+ Points vs. Big 12 Teams In Big 12 Action (since 96) Home Away Neutral Bowls On ABC On FieldTurf In Overtime At Night vs. Ranked Teams... All-Time Home Away Neutral as No. 1 Team In 282 Consecutive Sellout Streak... Overall vs. Ranked Teams NU Continues Success in League Openers The Huskers league-opening win over Kansas continued a tradition of opening conference play on a positive note. The Huskers have won 31 of their past 32 conference openers since 1975, with the only blemish a 2002 loss at Iowa State. The win was also Nebraska s 29th straight victory in home conference openers. Nebraska is now all-time in conference openers, including a mark in Lincoln. Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference, Nebraska is 10-1 in league openers. Nebraska s win at Iowa State was the Huskers second straight win in a Big 12 road opener, following a victory at Baylor last season. McKeon burst onto the scene last year with a team-leading 98 tackles, including 22 tackles for loss, the second-most in Nebraska history. After opening with a pair of four-tackle efforts, McKeon had nine tackles each against USC and Kansas, then closed the season with a team-high nine tackles against Oklahoma. McKeon is third on the team with 64 tackles, while also forcing and recovering a fumble. McKeon has been slowed by an ankle injury in recent weeks and missed the Missouri game, but returned to the starting lineup against Texas A&M. Ruud had a season-high nine tackles at USC and Iowa State and added eight stops against Texas. He ranks fourth on the team with 62 tackles, including seven tackles for loss and sacks against Missouri and Texas. Ruud had one of the best games of his career against Missouri, leading the team with seven tackles, including a 13-yard sack. He also intercepted his second pass of the season (third career) and forced and recovered a fumble. He has now forced a team-high three fumbles this season. Ruud s performance against Missouri earned him Big 12 Playerof-the-Week honors for the second time in his career (2005 vs. Maine). Ruud was honored for his steady play as the Big 12 Coaches voted him first-team All-Big 12. Both Bradley and McKeon were honorable-mention All-Big 12 picks. Bradley broke into the top 50 on Nebraska s career tackles list at Oklahoma State, Ruud made the list against Missouri, and McKeon cracked the chart against Colorado. Juniors Steve Octavien and Lance Brandenburgh give Nebraska five linebackers with significant game experience. Octavien missed four straight games before returning against Texas, and he responded with a career-high 10 tackles, including two tackles for loss. Brandenburgh has 39 tackles this season, and started in place of the injured McKeon against Missouri. Huskers Continue to Perform in Classroom Nebraska has continued its tradition of excellence in the classroom under Head Coach Bill Callahan. In 2006, senior fullback Dane Todd was selected as a second-team ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA academic All-American. Todd played the 2006 season as a graduate student after completing his undergraduate work with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average last May. Todd is planning to enroll in medical school next fall. A year ago, Todd and center Kurt Mann were selected as firstteam academic All-Americans. Like Todd, Mann graduated last May with a degree in mechanized systems management. Mann owned a 3.97 cumulative grade-point average upon graduation. A native of Grand Island, Mann did not meet the games played requirement this season after sitting out most of the early season because of illness. NU Backers Game-by-Game Stewart Bradley Game UT AT TT Sacks TFL La. Tech Nicholls USC Troy Kansas Iowa State Kansas St Texas Okla. St Missouri Texas A&M Colorado Oklahoma Totals *-Three fumble recoveries (NU LB record 2 vs. Nicholls St.) Corey McKeon Game UT AT TT Sacks TFL La. Tech Nicholls USC Troy Kansas Iowa State Kansas St Texas Okla. St Missouri Injured-Did Not Play Texas A&M Colorado Oklahoma Totals Bo Ruud Game UT AT TT Sacks TFL La. Tech Nicholls USC Troy Kansas Iowa State Kansas St Texas Okla. St Missouri Texas A&M Colorado Oklahoma Totals *-Two INTs, three fumbles caused (NU LB record 2 vs. Nicholls St.) Todd was the only Husker to earn first-team academic All-District VII honors and advance to the national ballot, however, three other Huskers were second-team academic all-district picks. Senior safety Brandon Rigoni, junior tight end J.B. Phillips and sophomore lineman Andy Christensen were all named to the second-team all-district squad. The selection of Todd as a second-team academic All-American gives the football program 86 all-time academic All-Americans, including 62 first-team picks. The Husker athletic program as a whole also leads the nation with 235 academic All-America selections across all teams and all sports. 4 Huskers Lead Big 12 in First-Team Academic All-Conference Selections A Big 12-leading 15 Nebraska football players were named first-team academic All-Big 12, the league office announced in late November. Overall, 22 Huskers received either first- or second-team recognition by the Big 12. Leading the way for Nebraska was senior fullback Dane Todd, who was one of two players honored for having a cumulative 4.0 grade-point average. Todd is one of five Huskers who were named first-team academic All-Big 12 for the third time in their careers. Also named to the first team for the third time were senior center Kurt Mann, senior free safety Brandon Rigoni, senior free safety Andrew Shanle and junior tight end J.B. Phillips. Making their second career appearance on the academic squad were junior linebacker Lance Brandenburgh and sophomore wide receiver Todd Peterson. 22

16 Todd Named to AFCA Good Works Team; Finalist for Wuerffel Trophy Nebraska senior fullback Dane Todd was one of just 11 Division I-A players named on Sept. 13 to the 2006 American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team. Todd is the nation-leading 11th Husker to receive the honor since the team's inception in Todd has volunteered his time with American Education Week, "School is Cool" Week, the Dads of Kids with Disabilities, the UNL Shadowing Program, Safe Quarters Friendship Home Fund Drive, Husker Haunted Hoops, Breakfast of Champions, Nebraska Dance Marathon for Children s Miracle Network, and the Relay for Life and Healthy Kids Day. The two 11-man teams, a Division I-A team and a combined team from Divisions I-AA, II, III and the NAIA, honor players for their dedication and commitment to community service. Nominations are submitted to the AFCA by the college sports information departments. A graduate student who completed his undergraduate work with a 4.0 grade-point average, Todd was also recently nominated for a National Football Foundation Postgraduate Scholarship. Todd was also been named as one of 11 finalists for the 2006 Wuerffel Trophy. The award is named after former Florida Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel and is presented to the player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement. This marks the second straight year that Todd was a finalist for the award Huskers Return to Big 12 Title Game Nebraska played in the Big 12 Championship Game for the first time since winning the 1999 Big 12 crown. The Huskers also appeared in Big 12 title games in 1996, 1997 and 1999, but did not return until this year. Nebraska s four appearances in the Big 12 title game tied Colorado for the most in the North Division. Oklahoma made its league-leading fifth appearance in the title game, all in the past seven years. Oklahoma s 2006 league title was its fourth in the 11 years of the Big 12 Conference, while Nebraska and Texas are tied for second with two titles. Kansas State, Texas A&M and Colorado each claimed one Big 12 crown in the first 11 years of Big 12 action. Big 12 History Division Winners Year North South Big 12 Champ 1996 Nebraska Texas Texas 1997 Nebraska Texas A&M Nebraska 1998 Kansas St. Texas A&M Texas A&M 1999 Nebraska Texas Nebraska 2000 Kansas St. Oklahoma Oklahoma 2001 Colorado Texas Colorado 2002 Colorado Oklahoma Oklahoma 2003 Kansas St. Oklahoma Kansas State 2004 Colorado Oklahoma Oklahoma 2005 Colorado Texas Texas 2006 Nebraska Oklahoma Oklahoma 4 Thirteen Huskers to Participate in AT&T Cotton Bowl as College Graduates Four Husker seniors played the entire 2006 season as graduate students, including center Kurt Mann, fullback Dane Todd, safety Andrew Shanle and cornerback Isaiah Fluellen. The foursome will have company for the Cotton Bowl, as nine current Huskers went through UNL fall commencement exercises on Dec. 16. The group is led by junior tight end J.B. Phillips who completed his undergraduate work in marketing in 3 1/2 years. Other Husker seniors who will play in the Cotton Bowl as graduates are Stewart Bradley, Adam Carriker, Ola Dagunduro, Matt Herian, Newton Lingenfelter, Will Otto, Brandon Rigoni and Zac Taylor. 4 Nebraska Continues to Lead Big 12 in Exhausted Eligibility Graduation Rate The University of Nebraska is the Big 12 leader in exhausted eligibility graduation rates for the fourth consecutive year. Nebraska boasts an impressive 94 percent rate, a percentage point higher than last year s mark of 93 percent. The exhausted eligibility rate surveys the graduation rate of scholarship student-athletes in 10 incoming freshman classes who complete their eligibility at the University. Nebraska s exhausted eligibility rate has increased from 87 to 94 percent in the past six years and has improved 22 percentage points since the inception of the rate in The current exhausted eligibility rate includes members of incoming classes from through During that time, 424 of 453 Nebraska scholarship student-athletes who completed their eligibility earned their undergraduate degree. Nebraska s 94 percent rate is three points higher than Baylor, which was second in the conference at 91 percent. The national average for exhausted eligibility is 85 percent for Division I schools. 4 Nebraska Leads Big 12 Conference in 2006 Graduation Success Rate Report Nebraska topped the Big 12 and ranked among the national leaders in the Graduation Success Rate for football as released by the NCAA in late September. Nebraska s 88 percent GSR was tops in the Big 12 Conference and well ahead of the national average of 65 percent. Among teams ranked in the Associated Press Poll the week of Sept. 24, Nebraska s GSR score was second only to Notre Dame, and the Huskers were one of just three programs with a GSR better than 80 percent. The Graduation Success Rate is an NCAA measurement that improves the federally mandated graduation rates by including transfer data in the calculation. This year s GSR scores were figured based on four classes of scholarship student-athletes who entered college from the fall of 1996 to the fall of 1999, and allowed for a six-year window in which to earn their degree. The GSR scores include student-athletes who transferred to Nebraska, but do not count student-athletes who transferred to another school and were academically eligible at the time of their transfer. 4 Huskers Pace Big 12 Conference in Academic Awards Nebraska had a Big-12 leading 22 players named to the first-team academic All-Big 12 team in Fifteen Huskers were named to the first team, while another seven players earned second-team honors. During the fall 2005 semester, Nebraska placed 31 players on the Big 12 Commissioner's Fall Academic Honor Roll, including six student-athletes who had perfect 4.0 grade-point averages for the semester. During the spring, 38 Huskers were named to the honor roll, with six players recording 4.0 GPAs for the spring semester. The honor roll recognizes all student-athletes who earned a 3.0 grade-point average or better in the previous semester. 4 Nebraska Honored by AFCA for Football Graduation Rate The Husker football program was one of 29 schools from across the nation honored this spring by the American Football Coaches Association with the 2006 Academic Achievement Award. The 29 schools that were honored achieved a graduation rate of 70 percent or better for the incoming freshman class. This year marked the sixth straight year Nebraska has received the honor and the 10th time since 1994 Nebraska has been recognized. Nebraska the Newest Member of 800-Win Club Nebraska joined Michigan (860), Notre Dame (821) and Texas (809) in the 800-win club with its Oct. 14 victory at Kansas State. The Oct. 21 matchup between Nebraska and Texas marked just the third-ever meeting in college football between teams with 800 wins at game time. Michigan and Notre Dame s meetings in 2005 and 2006 both featured programs with more than 800 victories. All-Time Victories School Wins 1. Michigan Notre Dame Texas Nebraska Ohio State 786 Nebraska is in its 117th season of college football in 2006, and is the fourth-winningest program in terms of victories. The Huskers own an all-time record in 1,168 games (.705) in 117 years of football. 4Since the first season of Nebraska football in 1890, Husker teams have won 11 or more games 12 times, including seven times since The Huskers will be bidding for their 25th 10-win season in school history in the Cotton Bowl. 4Nebraska has won 12 or more games seven times, including three seasons with 13 wins (1971, 1994, 1997). 4Nebraska (702), Michigan (705), Alabama (728) and Notre Dame (736) were the only programs to win 700 games in the 1900s. 23

17 Nebraska Owns Dominant Advantage At Memorial Stadium Nebraska has rewarded the loyality of its fans with incredible success at Memorial Stadium through the years. Nebraska finished 6-1 at home in 2006, and has won at least six home games in 18 of the past 20 seasons. Nebraska is at home in the last 18 seasons (since 1989), including a pair of losses against teams that went on to win the national championship Colorado in 1990 and Washington in Since 1986, only seven schools have left Memorial Stadium with a victory. During Nebraska s run of success at home in the past 25 years, Nebraska has had three home winning streaks of 20 or more games. Nebraska had a school-record 47-game home winning streak from 1991 to 1998, a 26-game home streak from 1998 to 2002 and a 21-game win streak in the early 1980s. Nebraska has not been shut out at home since a 12-0 loss to Kansas State in 1968 (248 games), and has posted 40 unbeaten and untied home seasons. The Huskers are (.779, 633 games, 117 years) in Lincoln, (.763, 478 games, 84 years) in Memorial Stadium (since 1923). Huskers' Top 10 Home Crowds No. Attend. Opponent Date 1. 85,800 Colorado (W, 37-14) Nov. 24, ,197 Missouri (W, 34-20) Nov. 4, ,187 Texas (L, 22-20) Oct. 21, ,181 La. Tech (W, 49-10) Sept. 2, ,069 Kansas (W, 39-32, ot) Sept. 30, ,799 Troy (W, 56-0) Sept. 23, ,076 Nicholls State (W, 56-7) Sept. 9, ,268 Texas (L, 27-24) Nov. 2, ,176 Utah State (W, 44-13) Sept. 7, ,118 Notre Dame (W, 27-10) Sept. 8, 2001 Largest Crowds To See Nebraska Play No. Opponent Attend. 1. at Penn State, Sept. 14, , Miami (Rose Bowl), Jan. 3, , Stanford (Rose Bowl), Jan. 1, ,000 at USC, Sept. 16, , vs. Colorado, Nov. 24, , at Penn State, Sept. 25, , vs. Missouri, Nov. 4, , vs. Texas, Oct. 21, , vs. Louisiana Tech, Sept. 2, , vs. Kansas, Sept. 30, ,069 Nebraska College Football s Winningest Program Since 1970 The bulk of Nebraska s football success has come since 1962 when Bob Devaney arrived from Wyoming and resurrected the Husker program. Devaney capped his career with consecutive national titles in 1970 and 1971, starting an unbelievable run of 10-plus victory seasons, and conference and national championships. In the past 37 seasons (including 2006), beginning with 1970, Nebraska has posted a remarkable 369 victories, an average of 10 wins per season. The Huskers overall record in that time period is for an.811 winning percentage in 458 games. In that time span, Nebraska has easily established itself as the nation s winningest program, posting 27 more victories than second-place Michigan, followed by Ohio State (334), Oklahoma (333), and Penn State (327). 4Nebraska has won 10 games or more 24 times since 1962, including 21 times since Winningest Progams Since 1970 School Victories 1. Nebraska Michigan Ohio State Oklahoma Penn State 327 4The Huskers have finished the regular season undefeated and untied seven times since 1965, and played in 13 national title games (for one of the two teams) and won the national title five times since Nebraska was the first team in college football history to win 100 or more games in consecutive decades, ranking first in the 1980s (103-20,.837) and second in the 1990s ( ,.868). Nebraska narrowly missed 100 victories in the 1970s with 98 wins, and posted a nation-leading 309 wins from 1970 to Huskers Enjoying New Home The Nebraska football program moved into its new home in the summer of After being housed in the South Stadium for more than three decades, the Huskers moved into the Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex before the start of training camp in early August. Among the features in the new facility are... 4 The Charles and Romona Myers Performance Center...Located on the first floor of the Osborne Complex, the Myers Performance Center includes a state-of-the art athletic medicine facility, a spacious and sparkling new strength complex and a new locker room and equipment room for the Huskers. 4 New football offices...the Nebraska football offices are housed on the second floor of the Osborne Complex and provide the Husker staff and players with the needed tools to prepare at a championship level. The change in location led to a significant change in Nebraska s pre-game routine. The Huskers famous Tunnel Walk now concludes with the team entering the field from the Northwest Corner of Tom Osborne Field. After a path of red FieldTurf leads the Huskers to the field, Nebraska enters after large bronze gates are opened. The gates feature images of six of the greatest Huskers from the 1890s to the 1960s, and are guarded each week by two military members. The football program benefitted in numerous ways from the project, and Nebraska fans also have several new features available. 4 New HuskerVision screens... Memorial Stadium features three new HuskerVision screens for the 2006 season. High above the North end of Memorial Stadium is a massive 33 x 117-foot screen. In addition to video, the large HuskerVision screen will feature a scoreboard, statistics and ticker. Two new HuskerVision screens were also placed on the Southeast and Southwest towers allowing fans in the north end of the stadium great viewing angles of the HuskerVision screens. 4 More Husker fans...6,500 seats were added in the North Stadium, in addtion to 13 new sky suites on the seventh floor of the Osborne Athletic Complex and new and improved handicapped seating. Nebraska received more than 15,000 requests for the 6,500 seats in less than three weeks. Nebraska set a Memorial Stadium record with 85,800 fans for the Colorado game. 4 Improved fan amenities...all ticket holders at Memorial Stadium benefit from a new large concourse in the North Stadium. The concourse now connects the East, West and North stadiums. New gates were also added on the North end, aiding in entering and exiting Memorial Stadium. Bigger Memorial Stadium Continues to Be Packed Nebraska s game against Colorado was the 282nd consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium, an ongoing NCAA record. The sellout streak dates back to a Nov. 3, 1962, game against Missouri in Bob Devaney s first season as Nebraska head coach. Nebraska s 282 consecutive sellouts easily outdistance Notre Dame, which ranks second nationally with 191 consecutive sellouts. Nebraska has had remarkable success during the sellout streak, posting a record during the 282 sellouts. The mark includes a record against ranked teams. Nebraska is 5-0 in the five milestone sellouts during that period (50th, 100th, 150th, 200th and 250th sellouts), including a 24-7 win over No. 2 Colorado on Oct. 29, 1994 (No. 200) and a victory over Utah State on Sept. 7, 2002 (No. 250). Although sellouts have become commonplace in Lincoln, there are a few more folks dressed in red packing Memorial Stadium this season. Capacity at Memorial Stadium is 81,067, with the addition of 6,500 new seats in the North Stadium. The Colorado game featured a stadium record crowd of 85,800, the fifth-largest crowd to see Nebraska play. (see left margin) Nebraska had played before 10 crowds of more than 82,000 fans in school history entering the 2006 season, but has played in front of nine crowds of 82,000 or more in The crowd of 92,000 at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Sept. 16 was the second-largest crowd Nebraska has played in front of in the regular season. 24

18 Huskers in the National Football League Nebraska has a long-standing tradition of placing large numbers of players in the NFL. As of the start of NFL training camps, the Huskers had 41 players listed on rosters. When final rosters were determined, Nebraska had 31 players on active rosters and one player on a practice squad. Nebraska s 31 players on active rosters led the Big 12 Conference, one more than Texas and two more than Oklahoma. Included in the group of players on NFL rosters are four players who were selected in the 2006 NFL Draft safety Daniel Bullocks (2nd round, Detroit), punter Sam Koch (6th, Baltimore), defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith (6th, New England) and defensive lineman Titus Adams (7th, N.Y. Jets), who is on the practice squad. In addition, running back Cory Ross, a nondrafted free agent is on the Ravens opening day roster. Koch s roster spot gives Nebraska two punters and two place-kickers in the NFL, with the combined four kickers the most of any school in the country. Nebraska s most experienced NFL veteran is Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro offensive guard Will Shields, who is in his 14th NFL campaign in Huskers on NFL Rosters Atlanta Demorrio Williams (LB, 3rd season) Baltimore Sam Koch (P, Rookie) Cory Ross (KR/PR, Rookie) Buffalo Chris Kelsay (DE, 4th season) Carolina Mike Minter (FS, 10th season) Mike Rucker (DE, 8th season) Chicago Mike Brown (SS, 7th season) Cincinnati Kyle Larson (P, 3rd season) Cleveland Ralph Brown (CB, 7th season) Detroit Daniel Bullocks (FS, Rookie) Dominic Raiola (C, 6th season) Cory Schlesinger (FB, 12th season) Green Bay Ahman Green (RB, 9th season) Houston Kris Brown (PK, 8th season) Zach Wiegert (OT, 12th season) Kansas City Will Shields (OG, 14th season) New England Russ Hochstein (C/G, 6th season) Le Kevin Smith (DT, Rookie) New Orleans Josh Bullocks (FS, 2nd season) DeJuan Groce (CB, 4th season) Scott Shanle (LB, 4th season) Oakland Adam Treu (C, 10th season) Fabian Washington (CB, 2nd season) Philadelphia Correll Buckhalter (RB, 6th season) San Diego Ryon Bingham (DT, 3rd season) Carlos Polk (LB, 6th season) Seattle Josh Brown (PK, 4th season) Grant Wistrom (DE, 9th season) Tampa Bay Barrett Ruud (LB, 2nd season) Tennessee Kyle Vanden Bosch (DE, 6th season) Practice Squad New York Jets Titus Adams (DT, 1st season) 25 Misc Notes... Louisiana Tech Nebraska extended the nation s longest winning streak in season openers with its victory. The Huskers have now been on the winning end in each of their last 21 season openers, dating back to a loss to Florida State in Louisiana Tech was the second team (also Utah State) to twice be a victim in Nebraska s seasonopening win streak. Nebraska also defeated the Bulldogs in the 1998 opener. The Huskers 21-game win streak in season openers is four better than the 17 straight season-opening wins by both Kansas State and Florida. Nicholls State Nicholls State did not complete a pass, marking the 10th time in school history Nebraska has held an opponent without a pass completion, and the first time since 1992 against Oklahoma State. USC The loss at USC marked the first time under Bill Callahan that Nebraska has lost when scoring first in a game. NU is 11-1 in such games under Callahan. The 28 points scored by USC were the fewest by the Trojans since also scoring 28 points against Oregon State in November of 2004 (19 games). It also ended a streak of 15 straight games with 30 or more points and a streak of 10 straight home games with 38 or more points. Troy Nebraska a shutout was its first since a 28-0 shutout of Iowa State in NU had two shutouts that season, also blanking Troy The 56-0 victory was NU s most lopsided win since a 59-0 win over Baylor in Nebraska s 406 yards of total offense in the first half was the most in a half under Coach Bill Callahan, and NU s most in the first half of a game since rolling up 416 yards in the first half of a win over Baylor. Nebraska limited Troy to 140 yards of offense, the fewest by a Nebraska opponent since allowing just 84 yards against Baylor in Kansas Nebraska recorded its 31st win in its last 32 conference openers, and its 29th straight win in a conference home opener. Senior safety Andrew Shanle intercepted two passes in the first quarter. Shanle s two interceptions marked the first time a Husker has had two interceptions in a game since Josh Bullocks had two interceptions against Oklahoma State in Shanle had picked off his first career pass last week against Troy. Kansas 94 plays were the most ever by a Husker opponent, topping the 92 plays that Oklahoma ran against Nebraska in KU s 405 passing yards also rank sixth all-time against a Husker opponent. Iowa State Cody Glenn (148) and Brandon Jackson (116) each topped 100 yards rushing in the game. The 100-yard rushing games marked the first time a Husker has rushed for 100 yards in a Big 12 game since Cory Ross rushed 30 times for 130 yards at Oklahoma in It was the first time since the 2003 contest at Missouri that the Huskers have had a pair of 100-yard rushers in the same conference game. Kansas State Nebraska s 3-0 Big 12 start was its first since 2001.The victory ended a four-game Nebraska losing streak against Kansas State in Manhattan, since an NU win in Nebraska s back-to-back road victories at Iowa State and Kansas State marked the first time Nebraska has won Big 12 road games in consecutive weeks since 2000 wins at ISU and Texas Tech. Nebraska's victory marked the 800th win in the history of the program. The Huskers become the fourth program to win 800 games, joining Michigan (855), Notre Dame (816) and Texas (806). Texas The loss ended a streak of four straight Nebraska victories at Memorial Stadium against top-five opponents. The previous top-five team to win at Memorial Stadium was fourth-ranked Washington in The Huskies went on to win the national championship that season. NU scored 20 points against Texas, ending a streak of eight straight home games with at least 24 points. The crowd of 85,187 was a Memorial Stadium record, eclipsing the 85,181 fans for the Sept. 2 season opener against Louisiana Tech. Oklahoma State The loss marked the first time Nebraska has lost when leading at halftime in Bill Callahan s three seasons as head coach. Brandon Jackson s 182 yards on the ground were the most by a Husker since Cory Ross posted 194 yards against Missouri on Oct. 30, 2004.

19 Missouri The victory marked Nebraska s 15th straight win over Missouri in Lincoln, dating back to a loss to the Tigers in During the 15-game win streak, Nebraska has won 12 of the games by double digits. Nebraska s win marked its 37th win in its last 38 Homecoming contests, with the only setback a loss to Texas Tech in Nebraska s 27 points in the first half were its most points in a half in a Big 12 game since scoring 31 in the first half against Baylor in Nebraska scored 24 points in the first half at Missouri last season, but was scoreless in the second half. Texas A&M The win gave the Huskers three Big 12 road victories, their most since also recording three in Sophomore running back Cody Glenn rushed for two touchdowns, giving him a team-high eight rushing touchdowns this season. Glenn s eight rushing touchdowns are the most in a season by a Husker since quarterback Jammal Lord ran for 10 touchdowns in Glenn s eight touchdowns mark the most by a Nebraska I-back since Dahrran Diedrick ran for 16 touchdowns in Colorado The Nebraska win ended a streak of four straight years with the road team winning the Nebraska-Colorado matchup. Brandon Jackson s 41 all-purpose attempts set a school record. Jackson totaled 190 yards on the 41 attempts. Oklahoma The Nebraska defense limited Oklahoma to 13 yards rushing in the first half, and 42 yards for the game, the Sooners lowest rushing total of the season (previously 124 yards vs. Texas). Sophomore punter Dan Titchener helped Nebraska s field position, downing a season-high six punts inside the Sooner 20-yard line. Titchener s six punts inside the 20 were a Big 12 Championship Game record. Cornerback Cortney Grixby owns 24 career pass breakups after two seasons as a starter in the Husker secondary. Grixby will be one of Nebraska s most veteran players entering the 2007 campaign. A Look Ahead to 2007 Nebraska will lose 10 regular starters from its 2006 team, including four starters on offense and six on defense. The Huskers will return 14 starters, in addition to a number of other players with significant starting experience in their career. Below is a quick breakdown of NU s returning starting experience for Offense Nebraska will lose Zac Taylor at quarterback, who has accounted for 93.3 percent of Nebraska s passing yards. The Huskers will return 100 percent of their rushing yards next season and 95.1 percent of their receiving yardage. Player, Position, Year in 2006, Number of Career Starts Terrence Nunn, WR, Jr., 27 J.B. Phillips, TE, Jr., 23 Matt Slauson, OT, Soph., 14 Chris Patrick, OT, Jr., 13 Mike Huff, OG, Soph., 12 Brett Byford, C, Jr., 12 Brandon Jackson, IB, Jr., 11 Nate Swift, WR, Soph., 9 Marlon Lucky, IB, Soph., 5 Josh Mueller, TE, Jr., 5 Lydon Murtha, OT, Soph., 5 Andy Christensen, OG, Soph., 5 Maurice Purify, WR, Jr., 4 Todd Peterson, WR, Soph., 3 Frantz Hardy, WR, Jr., 3 Hunter Teafatiller, TE, Soph., 2 Carl Nicks, OT, Jr., 2 Jacob Hickman, OG, Fr., 1 Defense Nebraska must replace all members of its starting front four and six defensive starters overall. The Huskers do have a pair of linebackers returning with a combined 47 career starts and a pair of two-year starters in the secondary with 50 combined career starts. Player, Position, Year in 2006, Number of Career Starts Cortney Grixby, CB, Jr., 27 Corey McKeon, LB, Jr., 24 Tierre Green, SS, Jr., 23 Bo Ruud, LB, Jr., 23 Andre Jones, CB, Jr., 12 Zack Bowman, CB, Sr., 5* Clayton Sievers, DE, Soph., 4 Lance Brandenburgh, LB, Jr., 2 Steve Octavien, LB, Jr., 2 Phillip Dillard, LB, Soph., 1* Kickers Jordan Congdon, PK, Soph., 25 Dan Titchener, P, Soph., 13 *-Bowman missed all of 2006 with a knee injury and redshirted in He started the final five games at CB as a junior and will return in Dillard suffered an injury in the opening game of 2006, and will be a sophomore in Schedule Nebraska s 2007 schedule will be among the most challenging in the nation. The Huskers will face eight teams that are set to play in bowl games this winter. Leading that group is a pair of non-conference opponents who will play in Bowl Championship Series games. USC (Rose) will visit Lincoln on Sept. 15, a week after the Huskers travel to Wake Forest (Orange). Nebraska opens the non-conference season with Nevada (MPC Computers) and completes its non-league slate against Ball State in Lincoln. Among Big 12 opponents, the Huskers face five teams who will play in a bowl game this year, including Missouri (Sun), Oklahoma State (Independence), Texas A&M (Holiday), Texas (Alamo) and Kansas State (Texas). The Huskers also take on Iowa State, Kansas and Colorado. Date Opponent (2006 Record, Conference Record) Sept. 1 Nevada (8-4, 5-3) Sept. 8 at Wake Forest (11-2, 7-2) Sept. 15 USC (10-2, 6-2) Sept. 22 Ball State (5-7, 5-3) Sept. 29 Iowa State (4-8, 1-7) Oct. 6 at Missouri (8-4, 4-4) Oct. 13 Oklahoma State (6-6, 3-5) Oct. 20 Texas A&M (9-3, 5-3) Oct. 27 at Texas (9-3, 6-2) Nov. 3 at Kansas (6-6, 3-5) Nov. 10 Kansas State (7-5, 4-4) Nov. 23 at Colorado (2-10, 2-6) 26