Huskers Host Badgers Saturday for Home Opener

NEBRASKA vs. WISCONSIN

OCT. 31, 2020 | MEMORIAL STADIUM

LINCOLN, NEB. | 2:30 P.M. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO

TV – FS1 (Aaron Goldsmith, Robert Smith)

RADIO – Husker Sports Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Ben McLaughlin

SATELLITE RADIO – XM 196, Sirius 211

INTERNET RADIO – Huskers.com, TuneIn.com

APP AUDIO – Official Huskers App, TuneIn App

HUSKERS

Record: 0-1, 0-1 Big Ten

Last Game: Ohio State (L, 52-17)

Rankings: NR

Coach: Scott Frost

Career/NU Record: 28-23 (5th Year)/9-16 (3rd Year) 

vs. Wisconsin: 0-2

BADGERS

Record: 1-0, 1-0 Big Ten

Last Game: Illinois (W, 45-7)

Rankings: AP – 9th

Coach: Paul Chryst

Career/UW Record: 72-35 (9th Year)/53-16 (6th Year)

vs. Nebraska: 5-0

The Matchup

The Nebraska Cornhuskers will open their 2020 home schedule on Saturday afternoon when they take on defending Big Ten West Division champion Wisconsin at Memorial Stadium. The game is set for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff in Lincoln with television coverage on FS1. 

The Oct. 31 home opener is the latest for the Huskers since 1895, when Nebraska played its first game in Lincoln on Nov. 16 against Kansas. The matchup with the Badgers is the first of four home games at Memorial Stadium, with Penn State, Illinois and Minnesota also set to come to Lincoln in 2020. 

Nebraska is coming off a 52-17 setback in its season opener at No. 5 Ohio State. The Huskers came out of the gates strong in Columbus, taking an early lead and tying the game in the second quarter, before Ohio State pulled away for the victory. Nebraska did show a strong running attack against the stout Buckeye defense, churning out 210 yards on the ground. 

Wisconsin will come to Lincoln with a 1-0 record following a 45-7 victory over Illinois on Friday night. Wisconsin is ranked ninth in this week’s Associated Press Poll and No. 11 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. This marks the first time Nebraska has faced back-to-back top-10 opponents since also facing top-10 Wisconsin and Ohio State teams in consecutive weeks in October of 2017.  

The Badgers used a strong passing game to pace the victory over the Illini, as redshirt freshman quarterback Graham Mertz shined in his first start, completing 20-of-21 passes for 248 yards and five touchdowns. The Badger defense also limited Illinois to just 218 total yards. 

Nebraska will be looking to end a seven-game losing streak against the Badgers, including last year’s 37-21 victory in Lincoln. Wisconsin has won in its past three visits to Memorial Stadium.

Series History

Wisconsin holds a 10-4 all-time edge in the series, including an 8-1 advantage since Nebraska joined the Big Ten Conference in 2011 (7-1 in regular-season conference games).

• Wisconsin is traveling to Lincoln for the second straight season. The all-time series is tied 3-3 at Memorial Stadium, but the Badgers have won the last three games in Lincoln. This marks just the second time since joining the Big Ten that Nebraska has hosted an opponent in back-to-back seasons (Illinois, 2013 and 2014).

• Nebraska and Wisconsin play for the Freedom Trophy, a trophy that debuted for the 2014 matchup, when the schools began meeting every year as members of the Big Ten West Division.

• Saturday marks the fifth straight year Wisconsin brings a top-20 ranking into kickoff. The Badgers have been ranked in seven of the 15 games between the schools, while NU has been ranked nine times.

• Nebraska’s first conference game as a Big Ten member was in Madison on Oct. 1, 2011, in a top-10 showdown. That matchup was the first of three meetings between the teams where both teams were ranked at kickoff, and the Badgers have won all three of those contests.

• Scott Frost is 0-2 in his career against Wisconsin and Badger head coach Paul Chryst.

Huskers on Halloween

Saturday’s game marks the 20th time Nebraska has played on Halloween. The Huskers are 17-2 all-time on the holiday, and Nebraska has seen some tricks and some treats in Halloween history.

• Perhaps the most memorable Husker Halloween game featured an occurrence that had never happened before – and hasn’t happened since – in the history of college football. On Halloween in 1992, Nebraska and Colorado entered the game tied for eighth in the Associated Press poll, marking the only time two teams with the same AP ranking played each other. NU routed the Buffaloes, 52-7, snapping Colorado’s 25-game Big Eight Conference unbeaten streak. Nebraska out-gained Colorado 428-144, including a 373-8 advantage in rushing yards.

• Halloween in 1959 was a historic game, as Nebraska knocked off No. 19 Oklahoma, 25-21. The Huskers’ win snapped Oklahoma’s 74-game conference unbeaten streak and handed Sooner coach Bud Wilkinson the first conference loss in his 13 seasons at OU. Following its first win over Oklahoma in 17 years, Nebraska fans tore down the goal posts for the first time in Memorial Stadium history, according to the Omaha World-Herald, and Monday classes were canceled.

• Nebraska has only lost twice on Halloween. In 1998, Texas defeated the Huskers 20-16 to snap NU’s 47-game home winning streak, which remains the fifth-longest home winning streak in FBS history. The Huskers lost their second Halloween game ever in 2015 at Purdue, when backup quarterback Ryker Fyfe threw for 407 yards, the most passing yards ever by a Husker making his first career start.

• Three other record-breaking individual efforts happened on Halloween. In a 2009 win at Baylor, Jared Crick posted a school-record 5.0 sacks and tied the NU record with seven TFLs. In the 1998 loss to Texas, Mike Brown posted 19 tackles, the most ever by a Husker defensive back. In a 42-7 rout at Missouri in 1981, Tom Banderas tied the school record with three touchdown receptions.

Huskers on Homecoming

With no fans in attendance, it’s an atypical Homecoming game for Nebraska Saturday against Wisconsin, but NU is hoping for their typical Homecoming result against the ninth-ranked Badgers.

• Saturday’s game will be the 110th all-time Homecoming game in Nebraska history. The Huskers boast an all-time record of 82-23-4 (.771) in Homecoming games. NU has won nine of its last 11 Homecoming contests, and the Huskers are 6-2 against Big Ten teams on Homecoming.

Nebraska Offense has had Success Against Wisconsin    

Nebraska has lost its last seven games against Wisconsin. Despite those setbacks, Nebraska has had offensive success against the always stout Badger defense, particularly in Scott Frost‘s two seasons as head coach. 

• Since 2011, Nebraska’s first season in the Big Ten Conference, the Huskers have faced Wisconsin nine times. Nebraska has averaged 383.8 yards of total offense in those nine games, while Wisconsin has allowed an average of only 292.7 yards per game in its other 115 games during that span.

• Going back further, Nebraska has produced three of the seven highest yardage totals Wisconsin has allowed since 2010. The 518 yards the Huskers put up in Madison in 2018 was one of only four 500-yard performances the Badgers have allowed the past 11 seasons. The other teams to total 500 yards of offense against Wisconsin are 2011 Rose Bowl champion Oregon, 2014 national champion Ohio State and 2015 national champion Alabama. 

• NU has also produced the only 400-yard passing game against Wisconsin since 2010, and the Huskers own three of the eight 250-yard rushing games vs. the Badgers during that time frame.

• Scott Frost‘s two Husker offenses have had more success than any other team against the Badger defense the past two seasons. NU has averaged 505.5 yards of offense against Wisconsin the past two seasons, but the Badgers’ other 26 opponents have averaged only 296.2 yards per game.

• The 518 yards Nebraska gained in Frost’s first season in 2018 are the most Wisconsin has allowed in its past 70 games since allowing 558 yards in the 2014 Big Ten Championship Game against eventual national champion Ohio State.

• Nebraska gained 493 yards against Wisconsin last year, the most yards the Badgers allowed all season. That was noteworthy considering Wisconsin played two games against Ohio State, which ranked fourth nationally in total offense (529.9 ypg) in 2019.

Huskers Aim to Improve at Finishing Drives vs. Badgers

While Nebraska has moved the ball well against Wisconsin in two seasons running Scott Frost‘s offense, the Huskers seek improvement in finishing drives. An inability to capitalize on drives into Badger territory has spoiled Nebraska’s chances of pulling an upset the past two seasons.

• The Badgers have produced only two more first downs (51-49) and four more total yards (1,015-1,011) the past two seasons against Nebraska, but Wisconsin has out-scored the Huskers 78-45. 

• Finishing drives has been a major reason why the games have not been closer. In 23 possessions the past two seasons against Wisconsin, Nebraska has crossed midfield 16 times. But the Huskers produced points on only seven of their 16 drives into Wisconsin territory. 

• Nebraska crossed midfield on eight of 11 drives in 2019, but scored on only three of those possessions. In 2018, the Huskers drove into Badger territory on eight of their 12 possessions, but had only four scoring drives.

• Nebraska has scored on only 44 percent of its drives into Wisconsin territory the past two seasons (7-of-16). In contrast, Wisconsin scored on 72 percent of its drives into NU territory (13-of-18).

Mills had a Career Day Last Season Against Wisconsin

Senior running back Dedrick Mills had a big day against Wisconsin last season. Mills rushed for a career-high 188 yards on only 17 carries, averaging a whopping 11.1 yards per carry. His numbers were even more impressive considering Wisconsin allowed an average of just 99.8 rushing yards per game and 3.3 yards per carry in 2019.

• Mills’ 188 rushing yards were more than Wisconsin allowed to any team other than Ohio State in 2019. His 188 yards were also the most rushing yards against a Badger defense since Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott ran for 220 yards in the 2014 Big Ten Championship Game. Mills’ 188 yards were also the second-most individual rushing yards Wisconsin has allowed since 2010 and marked just the third 175-yard rushing effort vs. the Badgers in the last 11 seasons.

• Mills gained more than 10 yards on nine of his 17 carries last season. Mills himself accounted for 17 percent of the 10-yard runs Wisconsin allowed in the entire 2019 season. At one point, Mills rattled off five consecutive runs for double-digit yards (16, 15, 21, 11, 43).

• Mills’ career day helped Nebraska rush for 273 yards as a team in 2019, the most rushing yards Wisconsin allowed to any opponent last season. Nebraska’s 273 rushing yards also marked the only time the Badgers have allowed more than 210 rushing yards to a Big Ten West Division opponent since the division was created in 2014.

• Nebraska has found some success on the ground against Wisconsin since joining the Big Ten in 2011. In the 10 seasons the Huskers have been in the Big Ten, Wisconsin has surrendered 250 rushing yards to a conference opponent only seven times, and Nebraska has accounted for three of those 250-yard rushing efforts. Nebraska’s 273 yards last season were its second-most rushing yards against Wisconsin since joining the Big Ten, trailing the 282 yards the Huskers rushed for in the 2012 Big Ten Championship Game.