Nebraska football’s 400th sellout is reason to celebrate

Normally, a game like the one between Nebraska and Missouri on Nov. 3, 1962 — one that featured three Husker fumbles and resulted in a 16-7 loss for the Cornhuskers — should have been relegated to the footnotes of the program’s history.

No one knew it then, but that day kickstarted one of the most unbreakable records in college sports — Nebraska football’s unbelievable sellout streak.

Sixty-one years and 10 months later, the unprecedented mark continues.

Nebraska has reached the highest of highs since then, winning five national championships. Nebraska has plummeted to low lows since then, like the worst stretch in program history.

Through it all, though, there’s been one constant.

Every game has been sold out.

In an era of college football where there has been constant change, Nebraska’s sellout streak is like an emotional comfort blanket. It’s something that can almost be taken for granted when you’ve become so accustomed to full stands when the play on the field may or may not have warranted 80,000-plus.

“When you’re a part of it, you don’t know any better,” Nebraska’s defensive coordinator Tony White said. “This is all we know. This is all Nebraskans know.”

But this isn’t normal. Far from it.

And Nebraska’s coaching staff hasn’t taken it for granted — especially knowing the attendance habits of some of their previous schools.

Temple, for example, averaged 22,473 fans per game for Matt Rhule’s first year leading the Owls in 2013 — ranking No. 91 out of 128 FBS programs at the time.

San Diego State, for example, averaged 32,406 fans per game for White’s fourth season coaching cornerbacks in 2014 — ranking No. 65 out of 129 FBS programs at the time.

“I go back to what I tell my colleagues and friends back home. ‘We get 66,000 for the spring game, guys,’” White said. “‘That’s more almost every other place I’ve been when they were playing during the season. To go out there and see 90,000?

“… Feeling the electricity from the fans and when we take the ball away, now you’ve got all the crowd doing the dance. It is something that is truly special. You talk to recruits after the game and they’re just like, ‘Wow. I’ve been to a lot of games, but it’s different.’ That’s just being a part of something truly, truly magical, truly special.”

Celebrating the 400th sellout on a Friday night feels like the antithesis of college football, though.

Friday night’s clash against No. 24 Illinois will be the first Friday night game in Memorial Stadium. Ever.

There’s no denying that it’s frustrating. There’s no denying that it’s annoying. There’s no denying that it will be a logistical mess. There’s no denying that it feels like a money and power grab from the Big Ten’s broadcast partners. There’s no denying that it sure feels like a slight when Michigan and Ohio State aren’t asked to do this.

But it’s the hand we’re all dealt. From players to coaches to fans to parking attendants to concession workers to high school coaches and players to everyone else affected, there’s not much we can do about it now.

And we’re going to make the most of it.

If you need to be convinced, just listen to sophomore running back Emmett Johnson.

“I love playing on Friday nights because it feels like a high school game,” Johnson said. “I love playing here, especially at night time. It’s gonna be a great environment.”

The environment in Memorial Stadium over the last few weeks has been incredible. The Colorado game was deafeningly loud. The Northern Iowa game was tinnitus-inducing, too.

Being able to play in that environment — let alone win in it — is something that isn’t lost on Nebraska’s Ty Robinson, one of the team’s elder statesmen.

It wasn’t too long ago for him that Memorial Stadium sat empty while they played in 2020. Knowing what that experience was like compared to this season so far, makes him “100%” more appreciative of the edge the fans have brought this season.

“They say there’s no better place. I really believe that,” said Robinson, an Arizona native. “I’ve always told how appreciative I am of the support that the fans gave us over the last six years I’ve been here. There’s never been a drop. Was definitely weird during COVID not being able to have everyone in there, but just to be able to play in front of these people who pour their heart and soul into us and just want us to win so badly and be good, I think it’s just awesome to be able to go out there and represent.”

Other than sellout No. 1, Husker teams who have played in previous milestone games have handled their business. Nebraska has earned victories in sellouts Nos. 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300 and 350.

Sellout No. 50: a 42-6 win over Utah State in 1971.

Sellout No. 100: a 42-17 win over No. 18 Penn State in 1979.

Sellout No. 150: a 42-33 win over No. 3 UCLA in 1987.

Sellout No. 200: a 24-7 win over No. 2 Colorado in 1994.

Sellout No. 250: a 44-13 win over Utah State in 2002.

Sellout No. 300: a 55-0 win over Louisiana-Lafayette in 2009.

Sellout No. 350: a 35-32 win over No. 22 Oregon in 2016.

Sellout No. 400? We’ll see.

Rhule knows the task at hand this week. He’s well aware of how important this one is.

“Getting to 400 will be great,” he said. “My job, though, is to make sure we win that game so people leave happy.”