The Huskers aren’t dominating the Big Ten the way they did in the old Big 8. But hope springs eternal as the Big Red prepares to take on Illinois in the 2021 season opener.
Ah! The glory days of 1995 with an offense spearheaded by quarterback Tommie Frazier and running backs Ahman Green and Lawrence Phillips, and anchored by dominating offensive and defensive lines.
The 1995 national champion Cornhuskers scored 638 points, and the opposition tallied only 174 points that season. The defense had Christian and Jason Peter, a duo with skills and scheme equal to the Huskers’ high-powered offense. Frazier threw for 1300-plus yards, 17 touchdowns, and rushed for 604 yards and 14 touchdowns that year. Green had 13 TDs and rushed for 1,086 yards, while Phillips ran for 547 yards and scored 11 touchdowns.
Bottom line? In 1995, opposing defenses couldn’t stop the Huskers, and opposing offenses had trouble scoring on them.
A year later, a transfer from Stanford lead Nebraska to the first championship of the newly formed Big 12. Finishing with an 11-2 record, the Huskers ended up #6 in the country. Who was that QB? It was none other than Scott Frost, who is the head coach in Lincoln these days. The big question, of course, is whether Frost can do on the sidelines what he did on the field decades ago.
And the road to ‘yes’ begins with the Illini, who represent a formidable foe, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Running backs Mike Epstein and Chase Brown may offer the best one-two rushing punch in the conference. In last year’s meeting with the Huskers, Epstein and Brown each ran for more than 100 yards. Epstein gained 113 yards on 13 carries, and Brown added 110 yards and scored two touchdowns. Illinois won 41-23, but not just by grinding it out. The Illini also had success in the air. QB Brandon Peters threw for 205 yards and one touchdown, and he rushed for another TD.
Last year’s game was played in Lincoln. This month’s opener is set for Champaign. And the hope-springs-eternal Huskers are (drumroll) -7 to win.
Will it happen? And will UNL be able to compete this year with the mighty Buckeyes–just as it once did against those pesky Sooners?
The story begins on Saturday, August 28. You can watch the action on FOX starting at 1 p. Eastern.
