The Matchup: Huskers and Nittany Lions

NEBRASKA vs. PENN STATE

NOV. 14, 2020 | MEMORIAL STADIUM

LINCOLN, NEB. | 11 A.M. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO

TV – FS1 (Brian Custer, Robert Smith)

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

SATELLITE RADIO – XM 196, Sirius 119

INTERNET RADIO – Huskers.com, TuneIn.com

APP AUDIO – Official Huskers App, TuneIn App

HUSKERS

Record: 0-2, 0-2 Big Ten

Last Game: at Northwestern (L, 21-13)

Rankings: NR

Coach: Scott Frost

Career/NU Record: 28-24 (5th Year)/9-17 (3rd Year) 

vs. Penn State: 0-0

NITTANY LIONS

Record: 0-3, 0-3 Big Ten

Last Game: vs. Maryland (L, 35-19)

Rankings: NR

Coach: James Franklin

Career/PSU Record: 80-41 (10th Year)/56-25 (7th Year)

vs. Nebraska: 1-0

The Matchup

Nebraska returns to Lincoln this Saturday when the Huskers take on Penn State at Memorial Stadium. The Big Ten cross-division matchup is set to kick off shortly after 11 a.m. with the game televised nationally on FS1.

The game will match two traditional Big Ten and college football powers who are looking for their first victory of the 2020 season. The contest against the Nittany Lions will mark Nebraska’s second attempt at a 2020 home opener. Nebraska was scheduled to open its home schedule on Halloween against Wisconsin, but that game was canceled. As a result, Nebraska opened the season with two road games for the first time since 1995, and will play three of its five remaining scheduled games at Memorial Stadium.

The Huskers stand at 0-2 after a 21-13 loss at Northwestern on Saturday. The Husker offense moved the ball well against the stingy Wildcat defense, but was unable to finish drives. Nebraska was 3-of-6 in the red zone, including a last-minute drive that ended on a loss of downs inside the Northwestern 20. 

Penn State comes into Saturday’s matchup with an 0-3 record following a 35-19 home setback against Maryland on Saturday. The Nittany Lions opened the season ranked seventh in both polls after an 11-win campaign in 2019. Penn State opened the season with an overtime loss at Indiana, before dropping a home contest against No. 3 Ohio State on Halloween, prior to Saturday’s loss against the Terrapins.

Coach James Franklin’s team features a strong passing offense that averages 286.3 yards per game through the air. The Penn State defense is strong against the run, allowing opponents just 124.0 yards per game on the ground. . 

Series History

Nebraska leads the all-time series with Penn State, 9-8. The Huskers are 3-1 against the Nittany Lions since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2011. 

• Saturday’s game will be the fifth meeting between Nebraska and Penn State as Big Ten foes, but only the second at Memorial Stadium. The Huskers lead the all-time series 5-2 at Memorial Stadium, including a 32-23 win over the Nittany Lions in 2012 in the only conference game between the two programs in Lincoln.

• Penn State won the last meeting, defeating the Huskers, 56-44, in 2017. The Huskers’ last win in the series was a 23-20 overtime victory in 2013, Nebraska’s first overtime game in Big Ten play.

• The first meeting between the teams as Big Ten foes occurred in 2011, when No. 19 Nebraska upset 12th-ranked Penn State, 17-14 in the first game of the post-Joe Paterno era at PSU.

• For the first three years of Nebraska’s time in the Big Ten, the Huskers and Nittany Lions met annually as a protected cross-division matchup.  That was prior to the Big Ten switching to the current East-West divisional alignment.

• Nebraska and Penn State had a long history of matching up in non-conference games prior to the Huskers joining the Big Ten. The schools met five consecutive years from 1979 to 1983, with Nebraska winning three of the five games. Both teams were ranked in each of those five games, including two games featuring a matchup of top-10 teams.

• The schools had a home-and-home series in 2002 and 2003, with each team winning on its home field. 

Frost in Third Season Leading Huskers

Scott Frost is in his third season at Nebraska in 2020. The consensus 2017 national coach of the year, Frost boasts a 28-24 career record in five seasons as a collegiate head coach.

• Frost is 9-17 at Nebraska, with 10 losses by eight or fewer points, including eight by five or fewer points.

• Nebraska went 5-7 in 2019, a one-game improvement over the previous two seasons. NU’s 12-game schedule in 2019 featured six teams that were ranked in the top 25 at least once during the season, including four that finished the year in the top 15.

• Frost has improved upon his team’s previous season record every year he has been a head coach. At UCF, Frost – who inherited a winless team – went from 6-7 in his first season to 13-0 in year two. He improved by one game at Nebraska from 2018 to 2019.

• At UCF, Frost became the first coach in FBS history to turn a winless team into an undefeated team in just two years.

• Of Frost’s 10 assistant coaches, seven have been with him in each of his five seasons as a collegiate head coach, while Mike Dawson has been on four of Frost’s five staffs. 

• In 14 years as a full-time assistant or head coach, Frost’s teams have posted a 131-42 record, averaging more than 10 wins per season. Frost has been a part of seven conference championship teams in his 13 seasons and has twice coached in the national championship game. 

• Frost’s teams have been ranked in the top 15 in 10 of his 13 seasons, including eight final top-10 rankings and six final top-five rankings.

New Faces, New Roles on Husker Coaching Staff

Seven of Nebraska’s 10 full-time assistant coaches returned for their third season in 2020, and all seven have been a member of Scott Frost‘s staff for his entire five-year head coaching career. The Huskers also welcome two new assistant coaches this season, but both are familiar with Frost.

• Matt Lubick joined the staff as Nebraska’s offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. Lubick previously was the offensive coordinator at Pac-12 powers Oregon and Washington. He succeeded Frost as the Ducks’ offensive coordinator, as Lubick was the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach in each of Frost’s three seasons as Oregon’s offensive coordinator.

• The other new face on the Husker sideline is a familiar one. Mike Dawson, who was on Frost’s staff for both seasons at UCF, coached the Husker defensive line in 2018 before moving on to the NFL in 2019, coaching outside linebackers for the New York Giants. In his return to Nebraska, Dawson coaches the outside linebackers.

• In addition to the two new full-time assistant coaches,two other staff members added responsibilities in 2020. Greg Austin added the title of run game coordinator to his duties as offensive line coach, while Ryan Held serves as recruiting coordinator in addition to continuing his role as running backs coach.

• The Husker staff features three Broyles Award nominees in defensive coordinator Erik Chinander (2016 at UCF), offensive coordinator Matt Lubick (2012 at Duke) and quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco (2018 at Nebraska). The Broyles Award is presented annually to the nation’s top assistant coach. Lubick was also named the national wide receivers coach of the year and an AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year finalist in 2012.

Quarterback Duo Proving Running Threat

Nebraska quarterbacks Adrian Martinez and Luke McCaffrey have each guided the Husker offense to success in 2020. A big part of that success has been the running ability of the quarterback tandem. 

• Nebraska ranks second in the Big Ten and 21st nationally in rushing offense, averaging 217.0 yards per game. Martinez (93.5 ypg) and McCaffrey (64.5 ypg) combine to average 158.0 rushing yards per contest. 

• The 158.0 rushing yards per game by the quarterbacks alone would rank eighth in the Big Ten in team rushing yards per game. 

• Against Northwestern, Martinez posted his fourth career 100-yard rushing game with 13 carries for 102 yards. 

• Excluding sacks, the Husker quarterback duo have combined for 305 rushing yards on 39 attempts, an average of 7.8 yards per carry.

• According to CFBstats.com, both of the quarterbacks rank in the top 20 nationally in yards per carry, regardless of position. Among players with a minimum of 15 carries in 2020, McCafrrey ranks 11th nationally and second among quarterbacks at 7.59 yards per carry. Martinez is 18th nationally and fourth among quarterbacks at 7.19 yards per attempt. 

Frost Offenses Traditionally Impressive on Opening Drives

One common theme of a Scott Frost-led offense has been a fast start. That trend continued in the 2020 opener, when Nebraska opened the scoring with a four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive at No. 5 Ohio State, needing just 1:51 to find the end zone.

• In Frost’s three seasons, Nebraska has scored on its opening possession 12 times in 26 games (11 TD, 1 FG).

• Nebraska scored on its first possession seven times in 12 games in 2018, including six of the final seven games. All seven of NU’s opening scoring drives resulted in touchdowns. In 2019, the Huskers scored points on their opening drive four times in 12 games, including three touchdowns.

• Over the last four seasons – 2018-20 at Nebraska and 2017 at UCF – Frost’s offenses have scored a touchdown on their opening possession 20 times in 39 games (51 percent). The average length of the touchdown drive in that span is 74 yards.

• In five years as a head coach, Frost’s offenses have scored on their opening drive 25 times in 52 games, with 23 touchdowns and two field goals. In 92 games over eight seasons as a play-caller, Frost’s offenses have scored on their first possession of the game 46 times, putting points on the board in half of their opening possessions.

• Nebraska has received the opening kickoff and scored a touchdown nine times in 26 games under Frost. In 2018, the Huskers had a game-opening touchdown drive to take a 7-0 lead in five straight games during the Big Ten Conference season.

• Frost’s Opening Drive Scoring Percentage: 50% (46 of 92 drives)    

• Frost’s Opening Drive Touchdown Percentage: 43% (40 of 92 drives)

Huskers’ Youth Show Potential at Northwestern

Nebraska’s 2020 roster features a mix of veteran players who have been fixtures for Nebraska for the past three and four seasons. However, at Northwestern several young players began to show the ability to form a nucleus of the Husker roster for the next several seasons. 

• Nebraska freshmen have produced 44 percent of Nebraska’s all-purpose yards through two games. 

• Redshirt freshman quarterback Luke McCaffrey has split time with Adrian Martinez at quarterback. McCaffrey ranks as Nebraska’s second-leading rusher (129 yards) and second-leading passer (148 yards) through two games. 

• Several young receivers saw significant action at Northwestern. True freshman Marcus Fleming led the Huskers with 75 receiving yards on five catches, sophomore Wan’Dale Robinson had four catches and true freshman Zavier Betts had a pair of receptions. True freshman wideout Alante Brown and junior-college newcomer Omar Manning also saw extensive action in Evanston. 

• Robinson’s four receptions increased his career catch total to 50 in his 12th career game. Robinson reached 50 career receptions the second-fastest of any Husker. Only JD Spielman reached 50 career catches (11 games) quicker than Robinson, while Nate Swift also caught his 50th pass in his 12th career game as a Husker. 

• Senior Dedrick Mills is Nebraska’s top running back. He is backed up by a trio of freshmen, including true freshman Marvin Scott III and redshirt freshmen Ronald Thompkins and Rahmir Johnson.

• Redshirt freshmen Bryce Benhart (RT) and Ethan Piper (LG) earned starts at Northwestern. It marked the second career start for Benhart and first for Piper. The Northwestern game marked just the third game in school history Nebraska has started a pair of freshmen offensive linemen. Current seniors Brenden Jaimes and Matt Farniok started on the same offensive line against Northwestern and Minnesota in 2017. 

• Sophomore linebacker Luke Reimer led Nebraska in tackles at Northwestern with 10 stops, including a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss, while adding a fumble caused. Reimer had 11 career tackles before Saturday’s game. Redshirt freshman Nick Henrich and true sophomore Garrett Nelson are part of the Huskers’ regular rotation at outside linebacker. 

• Sophomore cornerback Quinton Newsome and redshirt freshman safety Myles Farmer earned their first career starts at Northwestern. Farmer made the most of his first start, with a pair of second-quarter interceptions that led to 10 Nebraska points. Newsome finished the game with three tackles.

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