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Game Notes
Arkansas State (0-0) at Nebraska (0-0)
When: Saturday, September 2 | 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Where: Memorial Stadium (85,458 | FieldTurf) | Lincoln, Nebraska
Broadcast Information
TV: Big Ten Network (Joe Beninati, Glen Mason, Elise Menaker)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Ben McLaughlin)
Satellite Radio: Sirius (Ch. 137) | XM (Ch. 195)
Internet Radio: Huskers.com
================================
HUSKERS
Record: 0-0, 0-0 Big Ten
Last Year: 9-4 (5-3 Big Ten)
Rankings: RV
Series: 2-0
Coach: Mike Riley
Career/NU Record: 108-91 (17th year) / 15-11 (3rd year)
vs. Arkansas State: 0-0
RED WOLVES
Record: 0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt
Last Year: 8-5 (7-1 Sun Belt)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Blake Anderson
Career/ASU Record: 24-15 (4th Year) / 24-15 (4th Year)
vs. Nebraska: 0-0
================================
THE MATCHUP
Nebraska kicks off its 128th season this Saturday with a matchup against Arkansas State, the defending Sun Belt Conference champion. The Huskers are coming off a 9-4 record in 2016, while Arkansas State posted an 8-5 record last season. Saturday's game is set for a 7 p.m (CT) kickoff with the game televised nationally on BTN and available on the IMG Husker Sports Network.
Nebraska heads into Head Coach Mike Riley's third season with game-tested experience on both sides of the ball, while also introducing new faces at several key positions. The game will mark the Husker debut for starting quarterback Tanner Lee, who spent the first three years of his career at Tulane. Defensively, Nebraska returns significant experience in the secondary and talented players at all three levels of the defense, which will feature a 3-4 look under new defensive coordinator Bob Diaco.
The Red Wolves ended last year as one of the nation's hottest teams, winning eight of their final nine games en route to earning their fifth Sun Belt title in six seasons. Arkansas State has played in a bowl game each of the past six seasons.
Nebraska Football Top 10
- Nebraska is 889-372-40 all time, one of only 10 schools with 800 wins
- The Cornhuskers rank fourth all-time with their 889 victories
- Nebraska has won five national titles (1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997)
- The Huskers have won 46 conference championships
- Nebraska's 53 all-time bowl appearances rank second in NCAA history
- Three Huskers have won the Heisman Trophy: Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier, Eric Crouch
- Nebraska's 107 football Academic All-Americans lead the nation
- The Huskers have 110 first-team All-Americans in school history
- Nebraska football is the only team in any sport in NCAA history to total 100 athletic and academic All-Americans
- Memorial Stadium has been sold out every game since Nov. 2, 1964, a streak of 354 consecutive sellouts
Series History
Saturday's meeting is the third matchup between the two schools, all at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska has outscored Arkansas State 59-2 in the first half in the two previous meetings at Memorial Stadium and has limited the Red Wolves to less than 300 yards of total offense in both of the meetings while topping 490 yards of total offense in each game.
2009: #22 Nebraska 38, Arkansas State 9
2012: Nebraska 42, Arkansas State 13
Huskers vs. Sun Belt Conference
Nebraska owns a perfect 12-0 record all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference, most recently a 2015 victory over South Alabama.
The Huskers have multiple victories over Arkansas State (2-0), New Mexico State (3-0) and Troy (4-0) and single victories over South Alabama, Idaho and Louisiana-Lafayette.
Nebraska has future games scheduled against the Sun Belt with Troy (2018) and South Alabama (2019).
Nebraska Looks to Extend Prime-Time Home Dominance
Memorial Stadium is always a tough environment for visiting teams in Lincoln. That is never more true than in night games. The Huskers have won 19 straight home night games in Lincoln. NU is 45-5 all-time in Memorial Stadium night games.
The Huskers' dominance at night in Lincoln has been impressive, as 33 of the home wins have been by at least 13 points.
Nebraska's five losses in home night games have all come against teams that won at least 10 games in that season: Washington, 1991; Texas, 2002; USC, 2007; Virginia Tech, 2008; and Missouri, 2008).
Nebraska was 2-0 last year at home in night games, including a 43-10 victory over Fresno State and a 24-17 win over Minnesota. Nebraska's most recent loss in a night game at Memorial Stadium came against No. 4 Missouri in 2008.
Huskers Look to Extend Home Win Streak
Nebraska's undefeated home season in 2016 was its 28th all-time at Memorial Stadium, which opened in 1923. The Huskers bring a seven-game home winning streak into the season opener with Arkansas State.
- The Huskers were one of only five FBS teams to go 7-0 or better at home last season, along with Alabama (7-0), Michigan (8-0), Ohio State (7-0) and Penn State (7-0).
- Overall, Nebraska was one of only 14 FBS teams to go undefeated at home during the 2016 season.
- Nebraska's seven-game home winning streak ranks in a tie for fifth nationally entering the 2017 season.
- Nebraska also has a history of dominating in its season opener, winning 30 of the past 31 season openers. The only setback in that stretch was a loss to BYU in 2015 when the Cougars completed a Hail Mary on the final play of the game.
Riley Enters Third Season at Helm of Husker Program
Head Coach Mike Riley enters his third season as the Nebraska head coach in 2017. Riley has guided the Huskers to a 15-11 record in two seasons, including a 9-4 record in 2016.
- Riley is in his 26th season a a head coach, tying for the second-most experience of any FBS head coach entering the 2017 season
- Riley is one of eight active FBS coaches who also has experience as an NFL head coach
- Riley owns 16 victories over nationally-ranked opponents during his college head-coaching tenure
Diaco to Lead New-Look Blackshirt Defense
Nebraska has three new faces on its defensive staff in 2017. The group is led by new defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, while Donté Williams will coach the Husker cornerbacks and Scott Booker will tutor the NU safeties.
- Diaco was the winner of the 2012 Broyles Award as the nation's best assistant coach, while at Notre Dame. He is regarded as one of the top defensive minds in college football and has a proven track record of success at the highest level. Diaco comes to Nebraska after three seasons as head coach at the University of Connecticut. Diaco got his roots in the Big Ten, twice earning All-Big Ten honors as a linebacker at Iowa in the mid-1990s.
- Williams joined the Nebraska staff last December prior to the Music City Bowl and worked with the secondary during bowl preparation. Williams spent the 2016 season at Arizona, helping compile the Wildcats’ top recruiting class in recent years. He previously coached the secondary at San Jose State, where the Spartans ranked among the nation’s best against the pass under Williams’ direction.
- Booker brings 10 years of full-time FBS coaching experience to the Nebraska sideline, including five seasons on the Notre Dame coaching staff. Before being elevated to safeties coach in June, Booker served as a special teams consultant with the Huskers. In addition to his duties with the safeties, Booker will also coach Nebraska's special teams in 2017.
Veterans to Lead 2017 Huskers
The 2017 version of Nebraska football features several players with extensive starting experience heading into the season. Five players head into the season with at least 20 career starts, led by place-kicker Drew Brown. Senior cornerback Chris Jones will be sidelined by a knee injury at the start of the season. Overall, Nebraska has 14 players with at least 10 collegiate starts, including quarterback Tanner Lee, who made 19 starts at Tulane.
Youth Dominates NU Roster
While Nebraska will feature a modest number of first-time starters, the Husker roster is youthful heading into 2017.
Nearly two-thirds of the squad is comprised of underclassmen, as 80 of the Huskers’ 127 players are either freshmen or sophomores.
At quarterback, Nebraska boasts one true freshman, one redshirt freshman, one sophomore and one junior. Tanner Lee is the only member of the group who has seen action at the FBS level, but he has not played in a game since 2015.
Nebraska does not have a single quarterback on its roster who has taken a snap with the Huskers, a first at Nebraska since 1972. That year, Dave Humm set a school record with 2,259 passing yards and a Big Eight record with 18 touchdown passes.
About Blake Anderson
Blake Anderson played in the late 1980s and early 1990s for Baylor (QB and WR) and Sam Houston State (WR), graduating in 1991. He then began his coaching career serving as a GA then receivers coach at Eastern New Mexico (1992-1993) before becoming receivers coach at Howard Payne for one year in 1994. After that, Anderson has had stops at Trinity Valley Community College (QB/WR/DB/RC 1995-1997), Trinity Valley (OC, 1998), New Mexico (RB, 1999-2000), New Mexico (WR, 2001), Middle Tennessee State (CoOC, WR, 2002-2004), Louisiana-Lafayette (OC/QB, 2007), Southern Miss (QB, 2008-2009), Southern Miss (OC/QB, 2010-2011), North Carolina (OC/QB, 2012-2013.
Anderson was hired in the 2014 season as the head coach at Arkansas State, his first career head coaching position. Anderson is currently 24-15 with the Red Wolves, where he has posted records of 7-6, 9-4, and 8-5 in his first three seasons along with two Sun Belt Conference championships.
About Arkansas State
Arkansas State has fielded a football team since 1911 and is in its 26th season competing at the FBS level after moving up from Division I-AA (now FCS) beginning in 1992. The Red Wolves have won six conference titles in 16 seasons as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, including five in the past six seasons. Arkansas State has competed in seven FBS bowl games, including six straight.
First Season: 1911
Conference Titles: 13
FBS Bowl Record: 4-3
All-Time Record: 458-477-37
National Titles: 0
Stadium: Centennial Bank Stadium
About This Year's Arkansas State Red Wolves
Arkansas State is coming off an 8-5 season in 2016, winning eight of its last nine games culminating with a 31-13 bowl victory over Central Florida. The Red Wolves won their second consecutive Sun Belt Conference title in 2016 and ASU is the only FBS program to win five conference titles in the past six seasons.
The Red Wolves return 48 letterwinners and nine starters from last year's squad, including five starters on offense and four on defense. Eight of ASU's nine returning starters have earned All-Sun Belt honors in their careers.
Arkansas State must replace its entire starting offensive line from last season and its leading receiver. But quarterback Justice Hansen returns after leading ASU to an 8-2 record as a starter in 2016, when he earned honorable-mention all-conference accolades. Hansen led the Sun Belt in passing efficiency (138.9) and yards per completion (13.8) last season while ranking second in passing touchdowns (19) and third in passing yards (2,719). Returning all-conference tight end Blake Mack gives Hansen a top target in the passing game, while two-time All-Sun Belt running back Warren Wand returns to lead the ground attack.
The Red Wolves' defense is led by defensive end Ja'Von Rolland-Jones, who was just the second defensive player in Sun Belt history to be named conference player of the year in 2016. Rolland-Jones is the Sun Belt's all-time sack leader and enters his senior season 13.5 sacks shy of Terrell Suggs' FBS career record of 44.0. Arkansas State also brings back multiple returning all-conference selections at linebacker (Khari Lain and Kyle Wilson) and defensive back (Justin Clifton and Blaise Taylor). The Red Wolves ranked 19th nationally in scoring defense last fall, allowing only 21.5 points per game.
Last year, offensively, the Red Wolves averaged 137.2 rushing yards per game, 242.2 passing yards per game and 379.4 total yards per game. ASU scored 27.3 points per game, had a red zone efficiency of 78% and converted their third down opportunities 29% of the time.
Defensively, the Red Wolves allowed 143.4 yards per game on the ground, 219.5 yards through the air and 362.8 total yards per game. ASU allowed 21.5 points per game. Opposing teams converted in the red zone 80% of the time and converted 36% of their third down opportunities.
2017 Arkansas State Schedule (0-0)
at Nebraska
Miami (FL)
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
at Southern Methodist
at Georgia Southern
Coastal Carolina
Louisiana-Lafayette
at New Mexico State
at South Alabama
Texas State
at Louisiana-Monroe
Troy
Game Notes
Arkansas State (0-0) at Nebraska (0-0)
When: Saturday, September 2 | 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Where: Memorial Stadium (85,458 | FieldTurf) | Lincoln, Nebraska
Broadcast Information
TV: Big Ten Network (Joe Beninati, Glen Mason, Elise Menaker)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Ben McLaughlin)
Satellite Radio: Sirius (Ch. 137) | XM (Ch. 195)
Internet Radio: Huskers.com
================================
HUSKERS
Record: 0-0, 0-0 Big Ten
Last Year: 9-4 (5-3 Big Ten)
Rankings: RV
Series: 2-0
Coach: Mike Riley
Career/NU Record: 108-91 (17th year) / 15-11 (3rd year)
vs. Arkansas State: 0-0
RED WOLVES
Record: 0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt
Last Year: 8-5 (7-1 Sun Belt)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Blake Anderson
Career/ASU Record: 24-15 (4th Year) / 24-15 (4th Year)
vs. Nebraska: 0-0
================================
THE MATCHUP
Nebraska kicks off its 128th season this Saturday with a matchup against Arkansas State, the defending Sun Belt Conference champion. The Huskers are coming off a 9-4 record in 2016, while Arkansas State posted an 8-5 record last season. Saturday's game is set for a 7 p.m (CT) kickoff with the game televised nationally on BTN and available on the IMG Husker Sports Network.
Nebraska heads into Head Coach Mike Riley's third season with game-tested experience on both sides of the ball, while also introducing new faces at several key positions. The game will mark the Husker debut for starting quarterback Tanner Lee, who spent the first three years of his career at Tulane. Defensively, Nebraska returns significant experience in the secondary and talented players at all three levels of the defense, which will feature a 3-4 look under new defensive coordinator Bob Diaco.
The Red Wolves ended last year as one of the nation's hottest teams, winning eight of their final nine games en route to earning their fifth Sun Belt title in six seasons. Arkansas State has played in a bowl game each of the past six seasons.
Nebraska Football Top 10
- Nebraska is 889-372-40 all time, one of only 10 schools with 800 wins
- The Cornhuskers rank fourth all-time with their 889 victories
- Nebraska has won five national titles (1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997)
- The Huskers have won 46 conference championships
- Nebraska's 53 all-time bowl appearances rank second in NCAA history
- Three Huskers have won the Heisman Trophy: Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier, Eric Crouch
- Nebraska's 107 football Academic All-Americans lead the nation
- The Huskers have 110 first-team All-Americans in school history
- Nebraska football is the only team in any sport in NCAA history to total 100 athletic and academic All-Americans
- Memorial Stadium has been sold out every game since Nov. 2, 1964, a streak of 354 consecutive sellouts
Series History
Saturday's meeting is the third matchup between the two schools, all at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska has outscored Arkansas State 59-2 in the first half in the two previous meetings at Memorial Stadium and has limited the Red Wolves to less than 300 yards of total offense in both of the meetings while topping 490 yards of total offense in each game.
2009: #22 Nebraska 38, Arkansas State 9
2012: Nebraska 42, Arkansas State 13
Huskers vs. Sun Belt Conference
Nebraska owns a perfect 12-0 record all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference, most recently a 2015 victory over South Alabama.
The Huskers have multiple victories over Arkansas State (2-0), New Mexico State (3-0) and Troy (4-0) and single victories over South Alabama, Idaho and Louisiana-Lafayette.
Nebraska has future games scheduled against the Sun Belt with Troy (2018) and South Alabama (2019).
Nebraska Looks to Extend Prime-Time Home Dominance
Memorial Stadium is always a tough environment for visiting teams in Lincoln. That is never more true than in night games. The Huskers have won 19 straight home night games in Lincoln. NU is 45-5 all-time in Memorial Stadium night games.
The Huskers' dominance at night in Lincoln has been impressive, as 33 of the home wins have been by at least 13 points.
Nebraska's five losses in home night games have all come against teams that won at least 10 games in that season: Washington, 1991; Texas, 2002; USC, 2007; Virginia Tech, 2008; and Missouri, 2008).
Nebraska was 2-0 last year at home in night games, including a 43-10 victory over Fresno State and a 24-17 win over Minnesota. Nebraska's most recent loss in a night game at Memorial Stadium came against No. 4 Missouri in 2008.
Huskers Look to Extend Home Win Streak
Nebraska's undefeated home season in 2016 was its 28th all-time at Memorial Stadium, which opened in 1923. The Huskers bring a seven-game home winning streak into the season opener with Arkansas State.
- The Huskers were one of only five FBS teams to go 7-0 or better at home last season, along with Alabama (7-0), Michigan (8-0), Ohio State (7-0) and Penn State (7-0).
- Overall, Nebraska was one of only 14 FBS teams to go undefeated at home during the 2016 season.
- Nebraska's seven-game home winning streak ranks in a tie for fifth nationally entering the 2017 season.
- Nebraska also has a history of dominating in its season opener, winning 30 of the past 31 season openers. The only setback in that stretch was a loss to BYU in 2015 when the Cougars completed a Hail Mary on the final play of the game.
Riley Enters Third Season at Helm of Husker Program
Head Coach Mike Riley enters his third season as the Nebraska head coach in 2017. Riley has guided the Huskers to a 15-11 record in two seasons, including a 9-4 record in 2016.
- Riley is in his 26th season a a head coach, tying for the second-most experience of any FBS head coach entering the 2017 season
- Riley is one of eight active FBS coaches who also has experience as an NFL head coach
- Riley owns 16 victories over nationally-ranked opponents during his college head-coaching tenure
Diaco to Lead New-Look Blackshirt Defense
Nebraska has three new faces on its defensive staff in 2017. The group is led by new defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, while Donté Williams will coach the Husker cornerbacks and Scott Booker will tutor the NU safeties.
- Diaco was the winner of the 2012 Broyles Award as the nation's best assistant coach, while at Notre Dame. He is regarded as one of the top defensive minds in college football and has a proven track record of success at the highest level. Diaco comes to Nebraska after three seasons as head coach at the University of Connecticut. Diaco got his roots in the Big Ten, twice earning All-Big Ten honors as a linebacker at Iowa in the mid-1990s.
- Williams joined the Nebraska staff last December prior to the Music City Bowl and worked with the secondary during bowl preparation. Williams spent the 2016 season at Arizona, helping compile the Wildcats’ top recruiting class in recent years. He previously coached the secondary at San Jose State, where the Spartans ranked among the nation’s best against the pass under Williams’ direction.
- Booker brings 10 years of full-time FBS coaching experience to the Nebraska sideline, including five seasons on the Notre Dame coaching staff. Before being elevated to safeties coach in June, Booker served as a special teams consultant with the Huskers. In addition to his duties with the safeties, Booker will also coach Nebraska's special teams in 2017.
Veterans to Lead 2017 Huskers
The 2017 version of Nebraska football features several players with extensive starting experience heading into the season. Five players head into the season with at least 20 career starts, led by place-kicker Drew Brown. Senior cornerback Chris Jones will be sidelined by a knee injury at the start of the season. Overall, Nebraska has 14 players with at least 10 collegiate starts, including quarterback Tanner Lee, who made 19 starts at Tulane.
Youth Dominates NU Roster
While Nebraska will feature a modest number of first-time starters, the Husker roster is youthful heading into 2017.
Nearly two-thirds of the squad is comprised of underclassmen, as 80 of the Huskers’ 127 players are either freshmen or sophomores.
At quarterback, Nebraska boasts one true freshman, one redshirt freshman, one sophomore and one junior. Tanner Lee is the only member of the group who has seen action at the FBS level, but he has not played in a game since 2015.
Nebraska does not have a single quarterback on its roster who has taken a snap with the Huskers, a first at Nebraska since 1972. That year, Dave Humm set a school record with 2,259 passing yards and a Big Eight record with 18 touchdown passes.
About Blake Anderson
Blake Anderson played in the late 1980s and early 1990s for Baylor (QB and WR) and Sam Houston State (WR), graduating in 1991. He then began his coaching career serving as a GA then receivers coach at Eastern New Mexico (1992-1993) before becoming receivers coach at Howard Payne for one year in 1994. After that, Anderson has had stops at Trinity Valley Community College (QB/WR/DB/RC 1995-1997), Trinity Valley (OC, 1998), New Mexico (RB, 1999-2000), New Mexico (WR, 2001), Middle Tennessee State (CoOC, WR, 2002-2004), Louisiana-Lafayette (OC/QB, 2007), Southern Miss (QB, 2008-2009), Southern Miss (OC/QB, 2010-2011), North Carolina (OC/QB, 2012-2013.
Anderson was hired in the 2014 season as the head coach at Arkansas State, his first career head coaching position. Anderson is currently 24-15 with the Red Wolves, where he has posted records of 7-6, 9-4, and 8-5 in his first three seasons along with two Sun Belt Conference championships.
About Arkansas State
Arkansas State has fielded a football team since 1911 and is in its 26th season competing at the FBS level after moving up from Division I-AA (now FCS) beginning in 1992. The Red Wolves have won six conference titles in 16 seasons as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, including five in the past six seasons. Arkansas State has competed in seven FBS bowl games, including six straight.
First Season: 1911
Conference Titles: 13
FBS Bowl Record: 4-3
All-Time Record: 458-477-37
National Titles: 0
Stadium: Centennial Bank Stadium
About This Year's Arkansas State Red Wolves
Arkansas State is coming off an 8-5 season in 2016, winning eight of its last nine games culminating with a 31-13 bowl victory over Central Florida. The Red Wolves won their second consecutive Sun Belt Conference title in 2016 and ASU is the only FBS program to win five conference titles in the past six seasons.
The Red Wolves return 48 letterwinners and nine starters from last year's squad, including five starters on offense and four on defense. Eight of ASU's nine returning starters have earned All-Sun Belt honors in their careers.
Arkansas State must replace its entire starting offensive line from last season and its leading receiver. But quarterback Justice Hansen returns after leading ASU to an 8-2 record as a starter in 2016, when he earned honorable-mention all-conference accolades. Hansen led the Sun Belt in passing efficiency (138.9) and yards per completion (13.8) last season while ranking second in passing touchdowns (19) and third in passing yards (2,719). Returning all-conference tight end Blake Mack gives Hansen a top target in the passing game, while two-time All-Sun Belt running back Warren Wand returns to lead the ground attack.
The Red Wolves' defense is led by defensive end Ja'Von Rolland-Jones, who was just the second defensive player in Sun Belt history to be named conference player of the year in 2016. Rolland-Jones is the Sun Belt's all-time sack leader and enters his senior season 13.5 sacks shy of Terrell Suggs' FBS career record of 44.0. Arkansas State also brings back multiple returning all-conference selections at linebacker (Khari Lain and Kyle Wilson) and defensive back (Justin Clifton and Blaise Taylor). The Red Wolves ranked 19th nationally in scoring defense last fall, allowing only 21.5 points per game.
Last year, offensively, the Red Wolves averaged 137.2 rushing yards per game, 242.2 passing yards per game and 379.4 total yards per game. ASU scored 27.3 points per game, had a red zone efficiency of 78% and converted their third down opportunities 29% of the time.
Defensively, the Red Wolves allowed 143.4 yards per game on the ground, 219.5 yards through the air and 362.8 total yards per game. ASU allowed 21.5 points per game. Opposing teams converted in the red zone 80% of the time and converted 36% of their third down opportunities.
2017 Arkansas State Schedule (0-0)
at Nebraska
Miami (FL)
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
at Southern Methodist
at Georgia Southern
Coastal Carolina
Louisiana-Lafayette
at New Mexico State
at South Alabama
Texas State
at Louisiana-Monroe
Troy
